Cincinnati weather: Temperatures rising Christmas Eve; drivers urged to use caution

While temperatures are rising, drivers in Greater Cincinnati are urged to use caution Christmas Eve as wind chills below zero and wind gusts persist following Friday morning's blizzard, with patchy blowing snow reducing visibility on the roadways.

A low probability of widespread hazardous weather remains in much of the region, forecasters said. Winter storm and wind chill warnings were allowed to expire Saturday morning.

Earlier in the day, the National Weather Service had warned of wind chills as low as 24 degrees below zero and wind gusts of 35 mph. At those temperatures, frostbite on exposed skin can set in within 30 minutes.

Snow, dangerously cold wind chills, power outages, record-setting drops in temperature and "flash freeze" conditions hit the region Thursday night and Friday, with Greater Cincinnati experiencing its first blizzard in over a decade.

The National Weather Service defines a blizzard as blowing or falling snow with winds of at least 35 miles per hour. The result is reduced visibility to a quarter of a mile or less for three hours or more.

Those criteria were met in observations recorded at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport just after midnight through 3 a.m. Friday, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio.

Overnight, ODOT had about 1,200 plows out on the road throughout the evening, officials said. Crews will continue to work 12-hour shifts through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as needed until the roads are cleared.

The Ohio Emergency Management Agency said ongoing incidents are creating temporary roadway or lane closures across the state.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol has have handled over 800 crashes with seven fatalities and assisted over 3,000 motorists since Thursday morning, the Ohio EMA said on Saturday.

“If possible, motorists are encouraged to stay off the roadways," Ohio State Highway Patrol Colonel Charles A. Jones said in a statement.

Numerous temporary road closures have resulted from jackknifed commercial trucks, downed power lines and crashes, the state emergency agency said, adding some roads will be closed for an extended period of time.

A 46-vehicle pileup killed four people and injured many others on the Ohio Turnpike near Sandusky on Friday, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.

"Our sympathy goes to those families who have lost a loved one during this severe weather situation in Ohio," Gov. Mike DeWine said. "The road conditions continue to be very dangerous across the state, with whiteouts and extremely cold temperatures continuing. Please continue to remain home if at all possible and be vigilant with these extremely dangerous road conditions.”

Similar incidents have been reported south of the Ohio River, including one in Northern Kentucky on northbound Interstate 71 in Gallatin County, north of Glencoe, that shut down both directions of traffic for hours on Friday due to jackknifed trucks and crashes, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

Northbound traffic on that stretch of the interstate was being detoured and southbound traffic continued to move slowly Saturday morning, KYTC said. The northbound lanes were eventually cleared Saturday afternoon.

"Our roads remain treacherous, and in some areas impassable. Our crews are doing their best in the dangerous cold," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in a tweet.

The Kentucky National Guard assisted more than 700 vehicles on I-71, over a 14-mile stretch, turn around overnight, Beshear said during an update on Saturday.

The Cincinnati Police Department has also reported road closures due to hazardous driving conditions.

Detailed forecast by the National Weather Service in Wilmington

Christmas: Mostly sunny, with a high near 17. Wind chill values as low as -11. West wind 10 to 14 mph. Increasing clouds at night, with a low around 7. Wind chill values as low as -1. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph.

Monday: Snow likely, mainly before 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 25. South wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible. Mostly cloudy at night, with a low around 18.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 30. Partly cloudy at night, with a low around 20.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. Mostly cloudy at night, with a low around 38.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. Mostly cloudy at night, with a low around 44.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati weather: Roads remain hazardous Christmas Eve; temps rising