Even within the same school district, weather and road conditions can be dramatically different.

Dan Creps, superintendent of Rossford Schools, said within his district, where there are a lot of houses and buildings to break the blowing snow, roads might be much clearer than they are south of State Route 20, where open fields allow the snow and freezing rain to blow freely.

“We have to be concerned with students all across our district,” he said. “We always, of course, err on the side of safety.”

Rossford was one of a large number of school districts in Wood, Lucas, and several surrounding counties that closed Tuesday morning from the ice and snow. Some superintendents acknowledged that sometimes people wonder why they made the decision to close the schools, especially when the roads look clear, as many major roads did on Tuesday.

Perrysburg Schools Superintendent Tom Hosler said he tries to take pictures of the road conditions early in the morning when he makes the decision to close or delay school, to try to show parents and residents how he came to his decision. Sometimes, by mid-morning, the roads will be much clearer and people will wonder why school was canceled, he said.

“They’re not always seeing what we’re seeing at 6 a.m. when we have to make these decisions,” Mr. Hosler said.

Today, Tuesday, November 12, 2019, Perrysburg Schools will be closed due to icy road conditions. pic.twitter.com/VlqmqucdpW

— Tom Hosler (@tlh2supt) November 12, 2019

Perrsyburg started with a two-hour delay, a decision that was made Monday night, Mr. Hosler said. By 7 a.m., many of the major four-lane roads were clear, but some of the major two-lane roads were still covered with snow, and because the storm Monday began with a sheet of rain, there was a layer of ice under the snow, he said.

James Gant, deputy superintendent for Toledo Public Schools, which also closed Tuesday, said the district was prepared for the snowy weather, although it came earlier than anticipated. He also pointed out that patches of ice on the road can be the most dangerous because people don’t see them.

“We were prepared,” he said. “It was a call we talked quite a bit about before we made it.”

Ignazio Messina, Toledo city spokesman, said city crews had plowed most phase I snow routes early Tuesday morning. Phase I includes all streets that carry more than 7,500 vehicles per day including hospitals, fire stations, and the downtown TARTA bus loop, according to the city’s website. Crews Tuesday morning began phase II snow removal, and then also added phase III, which includes streets adjacent to schools, churches, hospitals, funeral homes, and major commercial and industrial areas.

Leaf pickup was put on hold for snow removal, Mr. Messina said, and crews were scheduled to stay on the snow shift through the night because of the low temperature forecast. Crews are scheduled to switch to leaf pickup Wednesday morning.

After Monday night’s storm, the weather should be getting back to normal by this weekend or next week, said Doug Kahn, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Normal for this time of year in this area meaning closer to 50-degree days.

Before that, however, the forecast is predicting temperatures in the single digits for the next couple of days, Mr. Kahn said, with a possible near 0-degree wind chill.

“We’re well below normal right now,” he said.

No major storms are on the horizon, he said. And the forecast for this weekend into next week looks dry as well.

“We might be rebounding,” Mr. Kahn said.

First Published November 12, 2019, 10:13 p.m.