CLEVELAND — Lake enhanced snow has shut down before the Thursday morning commute. Colder air has settled in with wind gusts remaining near 40 mph at times.
Additional lake effect snow is expected to develop somewhere across the Warning area Thursday afternoon. The model below shows additional accumulations from Thursday through Saturday.
Thursday morning commute:
Crews across the area plowed the roads and highways, but there's still a possibility the morning commute may be a slick one.
Several crashes have been reported on the highways ahead of the morning rush hour.
There's a jackknifed semi blocking the ramp from I-271 northbound to I-480 westbound.
A jackknifed semi is blocking the ramp from 271 NB to 480 WB. Tow on scene now. #GMCle pic.twitter.com/DFrhtbaLFq
— Jon Rudder (@JonRudder) February 27, 2020
On I-71 northbound under the West 25th Street bridge, the right two lanes are closed after a crash involving a semi and another vehicle.
I-71 north under West 25th the right two lanes are closed. Car and semi tangled. pic.twitter.com/wPk2aqXwaZ
— Mike Vielhaber (@MVielhaber) February 27, 2020
Impacts
Check the latest closings and delays for schools and other organizations here.
Monitor any impacts to our area’s roads from the storm in real-time on the News 5 Traffic page here.
Preparation
As of 6 a.m., ODOT said it has nearly 1,000 crews out across the state. Crews from the Ohio Department of Transportation will have 300 drivers plowing and salting interstates, ramps and bridges across the area in Ashland, Ashtabula, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Trumbull and Wayne counties.
Crews will work around the clock in 12 or 16-hour shifts until the storm is over. ODOT asks drivers not to crowd plows and to give them plenty of room to work.
Warnings and Watches
A Lake Effect Snow Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, and Lake counties as snow accumulations could total between 6 to 12 inches. Higher amounts are possible in areas where lake effect snow bands persist and across areas with higher terrain.
The warning is in effect from 10 p.m. Wednesday to 6 p.m. Saturday.
Winter Storm Watches were issued by the National Weather Service for Ashtabula, Erie, Geauga and Lake counties, in effect from 10 p.m. Thursday until 6 p.m. Saturday.
The watches warn of heavy snow possible, with total accumulations of 5 to 8 inches, possibly higher. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph, the watches state, from late Wednesday night through Saturday afternoon.
