A winter storm was nearly unprecedented in its scope, stretching from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico. About 60 percent of the U.S. population faced some sort of winter weather advisory or warning, and temperatures plummeted drastically below normal from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians, the National Weather Service said.
From western Michigan to Toledo to Cincinnati, winter snow blew through on Thursday through Saturday.
A wind chill advisory remained in place for the Toledo region until noon Sunday.
As for driving conditions in Lucas County, the snow advisory was downgraded to Level 1 at 10:25 a.m. Saturday. “Roadways are hazardous with ice and drifting snow,” the county said via email. “Drive cautiously.”
Along the Ohio Turnpike where at least four people were killed in a 46-vehicle pileup Friday in western Erie County, the identities of the victims had not been released Saturday.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol said that it was working to get the information but that it most likely would not be available until early this coming week. The patrol is leading the investigation.
Throughout much of Saturday, westbound traffic was being diverted at exit 118 U.S. 250/Sandusky) near Milan, the turnpike commission reported in a social media update. Eastbound turnpike traffic was being diverted at exit 91 (State Rt. 53/Sandusky) near Fremont, the update added. By Saturday evening, both eastbound and westbound lanes had reopened in Sandusky County.
On Saturday evening, the chairman of the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission, issued a statement about the crash. “Our deepest sympathy goes to those affected by this tragic event, especially the families of those who lost their lives," Jerry N. Hruby said. "You are in our prayers."
He thanked "hundreds of unnamed individuals — staff from the Ohio Turnpike, Ohio State Highway Patrol, all local safety agencies, and emergency/medical staff as well as civilian support" — who assisted during the rescue efforts.
“On behalf of the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission, we sincerely appreciate your efforts under the extreme winter storm conditions," Mr. Hruby said. “All are to be commended. Please be assured of our continued support and our heartfelt thank you."
In the eastbound direction, a right lane closure was in place for about a mile-and-a half due to damaged commercial vehicles that remained in the area Saturday evening, the turnpike commission reported later in the evening. "However, this is a three-lane section, so traffic is being maintained in the left and center lanes," its statement said.
The wind chill advisory included portions of northwest, north-central, and northeast Ohio. Counties included Lucas, Wood, Ottawa, Sandusky, Fulton, and Henry. In Michigan, a similar advisory was in place for counties that included Lenawee and Monroe counties.
The National Weather Service said to expect winds gusting as high as 45 mph, causing blowing and drifting snow, and wind chills as low as 10 to 20 below zero. "The cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes," its statement said.
In addition, snow accumulations of up to one inch are expected with winds gusting as high as 45 mph.
A high of 20 was forecast for Christmas Day in Toledo with temperatures rising to 46 by Thursday. As for overnight lows, a reading of minus 3 was projected for Christmas night. By Thursday night in Toledo, the overnight low was projected to increase to 40. A chance of snow showers was in the forecast in the coming days but no significant accumulation was anticipated in Toledo.
A winter weather advisory expired at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Toledo region.
The weather service warned of slippery road conditions, with patchy blowing snow that could significantly reduce visibility. Visibility could drop to a half mile at times, impacting travel along I-75, I-80,
I-71 and US-30. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches. The cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.
The weather could impact delivery of holiday gifts, as well.
The US Postal Service, UPS, FedEx and Amazon all recently said that the weather is disrupting operations.
The USPS said it had temporarily shut down 89 post offices, UPS warned "some delivery and pickup services" may be affected, and Amazon "temporarily closed" some of its sites in the impacted areas. FedEx said it was experiencing "substantial disruptions" at two processing hubs and that packages expected to be delivered Saturday could be delayed.
The Detroit Metro Airport reports that 84 arrivals are canceled for the day as of 11:30 a.m. In addition, 61 departures are canceled.
Information from The Blade’s news services was used in this report.
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First Published December 24, 2022, 2:34 p.m.
