The overnight snowfall left many area roads slick Sunday morning, as law enforcement and tow truck companies responded to numerous vehicles that slid off roadways.
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But the pattern of the storm has not been consistent, sometimes we will get a stretch of flurries, other times, periods of calm. But the weather can change at just a minute's notice. There is plenty of snow to plow at restaurant parking lots, sidewalks, and more. Contractors have been busy helping clear out areas that the city and county cannot get to.
If it seems too good to be true it probably is, and the same applies to the weather. For perspective, our largest single snowfall on record is under 20". Any forecast showing several feet of snow for our area is more laughable than anything else. The next time you see an outlandish forecast on social media, remember to beware of the share.
Officers have been patrolling neighborhoods looking for vehicles that haven’t been moved since the snowfall. Some roads have become narrower and plow trucks can’t get through. Whether it’s cars that haven’t moved at all or others that are parking on top of the snow, crews can’t get to it. Police are now enforcing the city’s “parking after a snowfall” ordinance.
Meteorology
Monday's clipper system dropped 1" of snowfall in Lima, pushing our season total to 3.8". Normally, we would have over 16" by this point in the winter! That said, it only takes a few big storms to radically change things.
Snowfall will eventually arrive in Ohio, and Allen County officials are preparing for its arrival.
Even more snow is expected to hit us after Sunday night's snowfall. Anywhere from two to five inches has been predicted throughout our area. Allen County Emergency Management Director Tom Berger says that a big thing to do when expecting snow is preparing your home for the weather - like checking your furnace to be sure that the filter is clean. Another thing to consider when the weather gets bad is to take a minute and check up on neighbors or family members.
Crews have been out and about since the snow first started falling to make sure that the roads don't get too covered. Depending on what part of the area you're in, you may have seen around an inch to closer to three inches of snow when you woke up on Monday morning. That means that crews were on their routes before the sun rose and were out all day.
The five inches of snow that fell definitely made for some tricky road conditions in Lima. With the snow coming so early, road crews had to make an adjustment to be able to deal with this first blast of winter weather. At the Allen County Engineers, their trucks were not outfitted for the snow, as this snowfall happened about a month earlier than what they normally expect. Crews had to work overtime to get things ready and get out to work on clearing the roads.
