Wright-Patterson officials weighed into consideration temperature, rain that may have caused roads to become icy coupled with the snowfall and the amount of time it takes to plow the flight line, roads and hundreds of parking lots in making the decision to close, base officials said.
“We have 125 miles of roads,” said W. Eugene Barnett, a base spokesman. “It just takes a long time to clear the roads on the base.”
Wright-Patterson officials also factor in the time it takes neighboring communities to clear roads.
“We wanted to be safe for everybody to be able to travel and get to work,” said Marie Vanover, base spokeswoman. “The decision was made for the safety of our personnel to close the base.
“We do not make this decision lightly.”
Base weather forecasters measured two inches of snow by Monday, according to Vanover.
The National Weather Service reported 2.5 inches of snow in Dayton and 2.5 to 3 inches of snow throughout the Miami Valley.
Wright-Patterson closed Jan. 6 because of snowy conditions and reported a two-hour delay Jan. 8, records show.
Twenty-six area school districts closed Monday and seven others opened after a delay. Four school districts remained on regular schedules.
Last winter, Wright-Patterson closed three days and posted several delays for personnel to report to work.
The sprawling base is the largest single-site employer in Ohio with more than 26,000 employees.
Staff writer Jeremy P. Kelley contributed to this story.
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