×

Meteorologist: Local counties lucked out amid winter storm

Crews respond with plowing, treatment

THRILLS AND CHILLS — Children raced sleds down a hillside off of Belleview Boulevard in Steubenville, following Monday morning’s winter storm. From left are Francis Kissinger, Joseph Plato, Rita Vranish and Dominic Simpkins. -- Christopher Dacanay

STEUBENVILLE — A winter storm blanketed large swaths of the eastern U.S. in snow overnight Sunday into Monday, but Jefferson, Brooke and Hancock counties “lucked out,” according to a National Weather Service meteorologist.

Mike Kennedy of the weather service’s Pittsburgh office in Moon Township said Monday that the system — named Winter Storm Blair — had a pretty sharp gradient between heavy and very little snowfall. Jefferson, Brooke and Hancock counties fell on the “lighter side of the map,” while still experiencing enough snowfall to warrant a winter weather advisory.

Not all regions in Blair’s path have fared so well. The system has been responsible for power outages and travel disruptions across multiple states, and it’s being blamed for a number of vehicle-related deaths in Missouri and Kansas.

Across the Tri-State Area, state and municipal crews have responded to the storm with standard street clearing protocol. No major issues had been reported by Monday afternoon.

Weather or no

Being on the storm’s northern fringe, Jefferson County picked up between 1 and 2 inches of snowfall between Sunday and Monday afternoon, Kennedy said. Heavier snowfall occurred in areas farther south and east, he added, with Tucker County in West Virginia dealing with 10 inches of snow by 7 a.m. Bellaire had reportedly received 4 inches of snow by 3:52 a.m.

By Monday afternoon, Kennedy said, the three counties were “pretty much out of the woods,” occupying the back end of the storm. Kennedy projected that a hardily significant amount of lake-effect snow would continue to accumulate into Tuesday.

Temperatures were expected to remain below freezing throughout the week and into the weekend, Kennedy said. Daytime highs will peak around the mid-20s and snow cover will cause nights to hover around 4 or 5 degrees. These conditions will likely result in ice forming on rivers and creeks, he added.

Kennedy noted that Jefferson, Brooke and Hancock counties’ highest three-day snowfalls all occurred in late November 1950, at more than 30 inches each.

Various responses

John Parker, director of the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency, said the county has been dealing with “minor issues” typical of snow or cold weather events.

“Road travel was limited and hazardous in areas from drifting snow, especially in elevated areas,” Parker said. “Road crews have been staying on top of keeping the morning and afternoon as safe as possible, plowing and salting.”

Ohio Department of Transportation District 11 crews began actively treating roadways around 2 a.m. as the storm reached the district’s western bounds, according to Lauren Borell, ODOT District 11 public information officer. Headquartered in New Philadelphia, the district serves Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson and Tuscarawas counties.

Borell said that in the early morning hours, heavier snowfall began to cover the district’s roads, which saw improvement by daybreak. Crews continued to treat and plow the roadways to keep them clear of snow.

“With any storm, we have a playbook but there’s no set game plan,” Borell said. “Of course, we’re always looking at the forecast and paying close attention to the radar and looking at what our western and southwestern counties are getting so that way we know what to anticipate. Our managers and crews are really good at communicating across the counties, to let them know what to expect. Communication is a big thing during these types of events. Everything went well, and our crews did an excellent job of keeping up with it.”

Borell noted that, as of today, 13 of ODOT’s plow trucks have been struck by other vehicles statewide this season — four of those were during the latest storm. Comparatively, 22 total strikes occurred during last year’s snow and ice season, Borell said, so the high crash count this early on is “not a good sign.”

“None of those (crashes) have been in Eastern Ohio, but … it’s just a reminder for folks to pay attention and give our crews plenty of room to work, allow plenty of stopping distance between you and the trucks and — of course — if you would need to pass, to pass cautiously. It’s very important to put down the distractions and watch for crews working out there.”

Michael Daley, interim manager of the West Virginia Division of Highways District 6, said crews were well prepared for the weather event with salt and brine. Crews from the district — headquartered in Moundsville and serving Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, Tyler and Wetzel counties — began pre-treating roads on Friday to prepare for the oncoming storm.

The NWS has been pretty accurate with its forecasts, Daley said, adding that Brooke and Hancock counties experienced much less snow than the Parkersburg area, which had to deal with between 5 and 8 inches of snowfall.

Daley said crews will continue to treat the roadways and remove snow and ice until “it’s all gone.”

“We appreciate everybody’s patience working with us, as well as our employees working the overtime and trying to keep everybody safe out there who travels. It is a lot of hard work. It’s tedious, taking people away from their families, where they could be home, sleeping. We’re out there trying to keep the roads open for the traveling public, and we’re tying to do that as safe as we possibly can.”

Steubenville City Manager Jim Mavromatis said the city’s street department has been “out all night” to keep the roads passable. Thankfully, he said, the majority of snowfall occurred to the south of Interstate 70, leaving Steubenville in good shape pending any sudden changes.

Mavromatis also cautioned motorists to maintain a lower speed and keep a safe distance from plow trucks — for the employees’ safety and their own.

Allen Hess, director of Weirton’s Public Works Department, said that snowfall “wasn’t as bad as we expected,” but the city still has had crews working 24 hours a day since Sunday to get roads clear and ensure they stay that way.

Weirton streets were “in pretty good condition” as of Monday, Hess said, adding that crews would be on call for the next 24 hours as well.

Wellsburg City Manager Steve Maguschak said crews embarked around 4 a.m. to begin clearing the roads but haven’t faced any issues due to the merely slight accumulation. To help with the job, the city had a plentiful stockpile of salt.

“We’re pretty fortunate we’re down here in the valley. We didn’t get as much as they got up on the hilltops, but we’re pretty fortunate. It was nothing the street crew couldn’t handle,” Maguschak said, adding that there have been issues with water lines.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $2.99/week.

Subscribe Today