DaytonDailyNews.com

By the time the snowfall concludes, the Miami Valley could see an accumulation of 10 to 15 inches, the National Weather Service in Wilmington said Friday night, March 7 as part of its blizzard warning for Saturday.

The best guess is that the snowfall will stop between 2 and 4 p.m. Saturday, said Mike Ryan, a meteorologist with the weather service. But even after 4, winds from 15 to 25 mph could linger, creating blizzard conditions. Gusts could reach 35 mph, cutting visibility to a quarter mile or less.

It's rare to have a blizzard warning in these parts, Ryan said. The record storm total snowfall for Dayton was Dec. 22 and 23, 2004, when 16.4 inches fell. We should fall short of that today. Only 10 storms have been recorded in Dayton history that dropped 10 inches or more of snow.

The winds will create problems on all roads Saturday night until midnight. By that time, the drifting snow will diminish. No more snow is expected Saturday night, and Sunday should be partly sunny with scattered snow showers. No additional accumulation is expected.

A gradual warming trend will commence Monday, and as the week goes on, snow melt should begin, Ryan said. Temperatures could rise to 50 by Wednesday, which could cause flooding on streams and rivers.

Street clearing went smoothly Friday afternoon, said Mark Hartung, operations engineer for the Montgomery County engineer's office.

The county has adequate salt supply for the expected snowfall, he said. "We're low but not in danger of running out for this storm or the next storm."