Ohio Winter Storm: Outages, Road Conditions, Forecast

CLEVELAND — Additional snowfall and ice could accumulate Friday and early Saturday in parts of northern Ohio, according to the National Weather Service.

Lake effect conditions could also add extra inches to towns in Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties. Winds could hit 30 or 35 mph, reducing visibility and adding additional hazards for travelers.

"Use extra caution if you must travel into or through this lake effect snow band. Rapid changes in visibility and potentially slick roads are likely to lead to accidents. Consider delaying travel until this snow band passes your location," the National Weather Service said. The current band of snow should begin to dissipate at 12:15 p.m.

Meanwhile, many communities are still grappling with flooded or frozen over roads.

Flooding Threat

After two days of 50-degree temperatures and heavy rainfall throughout northern Ohio, many communities continue to face flooding threats. The National Weather Service said the following rivers could flood Friday or Saturday:

• Cuyahoga River At Independence affecting Cuyahoga County.
• Cuyahoga River At Old Portage affecting Summit County.
• Eagle Creek Above Findlay affecting Hancock County.
• Eagle Creek At Phalanx Station affecting Trumbull County.
• Portage River At Woodville affecting Sandusky and Wood counties.
• Sandusky River At Tiffin affecting Seneca County.
• Huron River Near Milan affecting Erie County.
• Black River At Elyria affecting Lorain County.
• Chagrin River At Willoughby affecting Lake County.
• Grand River At Painesville affecting Lake County.
• Blanchard River Near Findlay affecting Hancock County.
• Nimishillen Creek Near North Industry affecting Stark County.
• Mahoning River At Youngstown affecting Mahoning and Trumbull counties.
• Mahoning River At Warren affecting Trumbull County.
• Mahoning River At Leavittsburg affecting Trumbull County.
• Scioto River Near Larue affecting Marion County.
• Maumee River At Waterville affecting Wood and Lucas counties.
• Killbuck Creek Near Killbuck affecting Holmes and Wayne counties.

Road Conditions

The rapid snowfall and thick glaze of ice have made many roads treacherous. At 7 a.m., the National Weather Service described road conditions as a "mess" on Twitter. The Ohio Department of Transportation said it had numerous plow trucks working to make highways passable.

In ODOT District 12, which includes Cleveland, more than 65 plow trucks were on the roads as of 7 a.m.

Power Outages

More than 2,000 FirstEnergy customers were without power as of 11:45 a.m. on Friday. With ice bringing down tree branches and power lines, the outages were widespread throughout northern Ohio.

Cuyahoga County was hit hardest, with more than 1,100 outages. Lake, Lorain, and Mahoning counties each had scattered outages.

Due to the sheer number of power outages, FirstEnergy was estimating power could be restored to the majority of customers by 11:30 p.m.

To see where outages are occurring, or to report a new outage, visit the FirstEnergy website.

Weekend Forecast

Here's a day-by-day forecast for the weekend:

Friday night — Additional snow likely before 5 a.m., but less than 1 inch should accumulate. Winds could hit 20 mph and temperatures will fall to 18 degrees.

Saturday — Snow is likely before 7 a.m., but less than 0.5 inches should accumulate. Snow could turn to rain between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. Expect a high of approximately 27 degrees and an overnight low of 13 degrees.

Sunday — Mostly sunny, with a high of 45. Ohio will almost immediately start melting away the latest round of snow as a warm front moves into the Buckeye State.