Rain continues this weekend after snowstorm that proved underwhelming
Forty-five years to the day after the iconic blizzard of 1978, Ohioans braced themselves for a storm that barely came to fruition.
Snowfall totals were low in Richland, Wayne, Ashland, Crawford and Holmes counties because the temperature remained just above freezing, explained Kirk Lombardy, a meteorologist in the Cleveland office of the National Weather Service.
"That whole area experienced the transition to the warmer temperatures," Lombardy said. "The snow changed to rain and warmed up."
After a chance for another dusting of snow Thursday evening, the meteorologist said the rain would continue throughout most of the weekend.
Most schools were closed Wednesday
The storm rolled into the region early Wednesday morning and quickly dumped a thick layer of snow with a promise of much more.
Schools across the area closed. County sheriffs issued snow emergencies. Plow trucks cleaned the roads and spread salt.
By noon Wednesday, nearly all of the storm's snow had fallen. The region's deepest measurement of 2¼ inches came from a weather spotter who lives west of Mansfield near the border between Richland and Crawford counties.
The official measurement taken at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport came in at about 1¾ inches.
"Some locations could get a little bit more," Lombardy said. "It depends on if they were under heavier snow when it occurred. You're not going to get an exact same number across the area."
From Bucyrus in the west to Wooster in the east, the U.S. 30 corridor in the north central region of the state received the same amount of snow throughout the storm.
"There was a fairly decent spread across the area," Lombardy said. "The heavier band went across Toledo."
'There's only been a trace of snow'
As the weather warnings expired Wednesday evening, meteorologists cautioned that more precipitation would fall overnight and that motorists would find more snow in their paths Thursday morning.
Warm temperatures, again, kept that snow from accumulating.
"The temperatures were right around freezing, so as the snow fell, a lot of it melted," Lombardy said. "As soon as it landed it melted because it was so warm."
The deepest overnight measurement in the state was 1 inch. There was no more than ½ inch anywhere in Richland, Wayne, Ashland, Crawford and Holmes counties.
"There's only been a trace of snow," Lombardy said.
Above-freezing temps continue this weekend
By Thursday morning, the region's forecast included another chance for snow during the afternoon.
Lombardy said most residents would only see another inch of snow, but some areas could see 2 inches.
Warm temperatures, though, would put a quick end to the accumulation. The high Friday was expected to be 36 degrees.
"It will be dry on Friday," Lombardy said. "As we get into Friday evening, it looks like we have some more weather moving in, a minimal chance for snow showers."
The highs on Saturday and Sunday were both forecast at 40 degrees.
"We warm up," Lombardy said. "It looks like there's a chance of rain for the weekend."
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Rain continues this weekend after snowstorm that proved underwhelming
