Looks Like They Finally Did It

[cincygreg]

They left the snow machine on too long. Either that or stay puft exploded all over the place again. Guessing schools out for most kids today as the snow has given them an extra day off.


Local news Cincinnati.Com ? Local news

Last Updated: 7:23 am | Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Heavy snow slows commute

Two to four inches of snow fell overnight in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky as a winter storm settled into the region.



The heaviest snow hit south of the Ohio River in Northern Kentucky in places like Boone County, according to the National Weather Service.

Snow should continue falling most of the morning, totaling four to six inches, said meteorologist Andy Hatzos.

Most school districts, including Cincinnati Public, and several local colleges are closed today. Most counties issued snow advisories warning motorists to drive cautiously because roads are hazardous.

Janet Walsh, spokeswoman for Cincinnati Public Schools, said the district decided to close about 4:30 a.m. once transportation officials spoke with its bus company and the city?s maintenance crew.

?It?s not only the snow that we currently have,? she said, ?but the prospect of worsening conditions throughout the day which could have made for hazardous bus trips home and also could have caused some problems for our walkers.?

University of Cincinnati closed until 10 a.m. Xavier and Northern Kentucky universities are closed today.

Crews worked through the night clearing roads that are passable but slow.

The snow didn't disrupt garbage service. Rumpke drivers still came down neighborhood streets in areas like West Chester Township at 5:45 a.m.

The snow is powdery, thick and will dramatically slow the morning rush hour, cautioned ARTIMIS officials and Nancy Wood, spokeswoman for Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The cabinet is responsible for clearing highways and state routes in 11 counties in Kentucky.

Wood?s morning commute from downtown Cincinnati to her office on Buttermilk Pike in Kenton County took 25 minutes this morning. Usually it takes 15.

Her route took her up the steep Cut-in-the-Hill on Interstate 75.

?I was going about 30 miles an hour and other cars were passing me, but it wasn?t bad,? Wood said. ?If you have to be out, it?s going to be a slow commute. The roads are completely covered. You cannot see the lanes.

?We have at least three inches of snow on the ground now and it?s coming down steadily,? she continued. ?We have to get snow off the road before we can salt. There was enough salt from previous snows that it was already layered. We are going to try to get the roads the best we can before the next one hits.?

In Cincinnati, 65 trucks are scrambling this morning to clear the main streets.

?The streets look terrible,? said Greg Ayres, Cincinnati?s public service operations supervisor. ?It?s just falling really quick. So if people can stay home that would be my suggestion. If they have to leave, I would suggest they leave early and drive slowly and be extremely careful because it is heavy.?

At Travel Centers of America truck stop in Florence, truckers parked outside and slept in their cabs or stocked up at the store, said clerk Wanda Napier.

?The drivers say they are just taking their time, but the trucks seem to be moving pretty good,? she said. ?It?s kind of bad out here, they said. We had people coming in and stocking up on chips, soft drinks and milk in case they got stranded.?

Truck driver Mike Denney, of Indianapolis, said he slept in the cab of his truck overnight to get a head start today. He is delivering a load of books to Amazon.com in Hebron.

?I trust myself,? Denney, 42, said. ?I just don?t trust everybody else on the road. I?m not scared of the snow, just ice. I?ve been doing it for 20-something years, so it doesn?t bother me.?

A winter storm warning remains in effect until noon Wednesday.

After a brief break this afternoon, snow will start back up this evening, along with sleet and freezing rain, Hatzos said.

Another three to five inches of snow is expected, along with up to a quarter of an inch of sleet and freezing rain.

?We are going to look at six to ten inches of snow total by the time we are done Wednesday,? Hatzos said.

None of it is going to melt anytime soon.

The temperature this morning is 20 degrees, and today?s high will climb to only 22. The mercury isn?t expected to rise above freezing until the weekend. High temperatures the rest of the week will remain in the 20s. Overnight lows will be in the teens.

?It will keep things from melting which, of course, can be bad,? Hatzos said.

With the ice, there is a risk of tree limbs and power lines snapping.

?I don?t think we are looking at it occurring widespread,? he said, ?but combine it with the snow and you certainly could have problems.?

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is open this morning. Two of the four runways are open, and 20 morning flights were canceled last night by the airlines due to the weather, said Barbara Schempf, airport spokeswoman.

Other flights scheduled this morning are still on, she said, but passengers should double check with their airlines.

Metro routes are under some delays and detours, said Metro spokeswoman Sallie Hilvers. Trouble areas are Price Hill, Mount Adams and Walnut Hills, she said.

?Those seem to be pretty slick right now,? she said.


C'mon GL. Admit it. You REALLY REALLY MISS THIS

All together now... Watch out where the huskies go
and dont you eat that yellow snow

[Beachcomber]

80* and sunny here today but cold by the weekend. I have been wanting to go to the St Petersburg Museum of Fine Art for some time now so I plan on ging this weekend. I never want to take away time from being outdoors when it's nice, so now's the perfect opportunity.

Drive safe up there.

[Beachcomber]

"C'mon GL. Admit it. You REALLY REALLY MISS THIS"

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

[cincygreg]

Getting to work this morning wasnt bad at all, neither was the trip home (then again, my commute is only a mile) even though the freezing rain had started. Now the rain has slowed up and I guess now it's a wait and see what ( and how much of that what) is coming next!

[LAKE]

We got up to 2" of ice, then about 6" of snow on top of that. All the schools and many businesses were closed today. Even Ohio State, which I'm told "never closes", closed. I went in to work and there were only 3 out of about 15 working. Ha, I didn't know I could have taken the day off!!! Oh well, it's only my 2nd week on the job. Gotta make that good impression even if it's bs.

[cincygreg]

I made it in to work, but as soon as they declared the level 3 emergency they sent us home and closed for the day. Place looks a little funny since we moved all the cars so they could plow the main lots LOL!
Once the snow stopped and the sun came out, things got a little better.