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Up to 12 inches fall in some areas, more snow to come Tuesday

Northern counties hit hardest by snowstorm

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By Lou Grieco, Staff Writer Updated 12:45 AM Sunday, February 7, 2010

DAYTON — The Miami Valley's main roads appeared to be mostly clear by Saturday night, Feb. 6, following a heavy snowstorm that dumped up to 12 inches of snow in some areas.

Interstate 75 and U.S. 35 were almost completely clear in the Dayton area. The main roads in Dayton were also clear, though many residential lanes remain unplowed.

Level 3 emergencies, in which all roadways are closed to non-emergency personnel, are in effect in Preble, Darke, Champaign, Mercer, Logan, Shelby and Wayne counties. Dispatchers in Greenville said that the Level 3 applied to the city as well.

In Shelby County, Ohio 29 was closed due to heavy snow drifts, and snow plows were getting stuck, dispatchers said.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol reported several slide offs and crashes on interstates 75, 70 and 675, though no major injuries were reported.

Preble County was upgraded to Level 3 because of hazardous conditions on secondary roads. A state trooper on Saturday afternoon needed a snow plow to reach a vehicle that had run out of gas on a county road, said dispatcher Lisa Roberts.

About 588 customers were without electricity about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, according to Dayton Power & Light spokeswoman Lesley Sprigg.

“Ice and wind are causing most of the outages and the problems,” Sprigg said.

The customers are scattered across Darke, Preble, Miami, Montgomery and Fayette counties.

DP&L expected the majority of customers to be restored by late Saturday evening, with the remainder restored by early Sunday morning. “We will have crews working through the night to do everything we can to restore power to our customers,” Sprigg said.

Miami Valley Hospital on Saturday afternoon reported an increase in weather-related injuries, including falls and chest pains related to shoveling the snow.

One patient was admitted with a “minor” snow-blower injury and later discharged, said Rebecca Czachor, a hospital administrative officer.

U.S. Postal Service officials cancelled mail delivery for Saturday, Feb. 6, for all of Darke County, citing the snow.

The county remains under a Level 3 snow emergency, meaning that all roadways are closed to non-emergency personnel.

Miamisburg officials have also issued a snow emergency, asking residents to take all cars off the roads to allow for more effective plowing. The snow emergency will remain in place all day, Saturday.

The snow has stopped, but winds will continue to make drifting a problem throughout the day, particularly in rural areas, according to WHIO-TV meteorologist Rich Wirdzek.

“The actual snow is over,” Wirdzek said about 10:30 a.m. Saturday. “We’re done with the snow.”

However, road conditions will likely stay poor for several hours, at least until the wind dies down in the evening, he said.

Rural areas north of Interstate 70 are reporting four- and five-foot snow drifts, Wirdzek said. Even after the plows pass through, the wind continues to blow snow back onto the roads, he said.

Between Interstate 70 and U.S 36, there are reports of 12 to 14 inches of snow, which is the heaviest snowfall across the Miami Valley, Wirdzek said.

North of U.S. 36, snow drops off a bit, with 11 inches reported in Celina and 10 inches reported in Auglaize county.

The Springfield area is reporting 10 to 11 inches, with Montgomery County reporting 8.5 to 9 inches,Wirdzek said.

Warren and Butler counties are reporting 5 to 7 inches, though Springboro received about 8.5, Wirdzek said.

The Butler County Sheriff’s Office has downgraded the county’s snow emergency to a Level 1. Clark and Miami counties are also under a Level 2 alert.

Saturday night’s low temperature will be around 11 degrees, with winds between 5 and 11 mph, according to the National Weather Service forecast office in Wilmington.

Sunday should be mostly sunny with a high near 25 and lows at night from 5 to 10 degrees.

The next snow may arrive Tuesday, with a forecast high around 31 and an 80 percent chance of precipitation, according to the National Weather Service. Snow showers also are in the forecast for Wednesday.

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