ASHLAND – Most Ashland residents have heeded the warnings of meteorologists and public officials, staying indoors or taking it easy as snow accumulated and roads became treacherous Saturday.
As of 6 p.m., approximately nine hours after snowfall began in Ashland, about seven inches of snow had fallen. The Ashland Post of Ohio Highway Patrol had handled just six minor crashes and helped pull five to six people from ditches.
A majority of those crashes were on I-71, but none resulted in injury. A dispatcher said the number of incidents was relatively low, considering the poor condition of roads.
The Ashland County Sheriff’s Office assisted with nine weather-related incidents, including crashes and reports of cars sliding off the roads.
Meanwhile, the Ashland Police Department went all day without handling a single weather-related crash. The day’s only crash in the city was an early morning fender bender at Lyn-Way Restaurant, according to a dispatcher from the Wooster-Ashland Regional Council of Governments.
Dispatchers say road conditions remained dangerous as of Saturday evening.
A mix of snow, freezing rain and sleet that will continue all night and into the morning, according to the National Weather Service in Cleveland. Another four to eight inches of snow is possible overnight.
Temperatures are expected to drop Sunday to as low as 3 below zero Sunday night into Monday. Blustery winds will also be a factor Sunday, with gusts as high as 34 miles per hour.
Ashland County joined Richland and Crawford Counties Saturday afternoon in a Level 2 Snow emergency status.
A Level 2 Snow Advisory is: Designed to advise motorists that all, or certain roadways in the county are hazardous with icy spots, blowing and drifting snow causing low visibility.
Only persons who deem it necessary to travel should be on the roadways. Employees should contact their employer to determine if they should report to work.
