NEWS

Snow brings traffic woes, cold follows

Patrick Brennan, and Keith BieryGolick
Cincinnati
Cincinnati Cincinnati Fire Department personnel and city sanitation employees  work to provide traction for a garbage truck that slid down Gage St. in Mount Auburn and struck two parked cars.  Cincinnati Police Sgt. A. Weber said the driver had  put the truck in park and was out emptying garbage cans, when the unoccupied truck slid  downhill on the ice.

If you live in Cincinnati, tell us how well the city did clearing snow from your neighborhood by voting in our survey at the bottom of this story. If you live outside the city or in Northern Kentucky, tell us how well your municipality did in the comments section.

It is March, isn't it?

Even with the snowstorm behind us, winter just won't quit. Subzero temperatures are in the forecast Friday morning and there is a small chance for snow flurries Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

A winter storm warning was cancelled for Northern Kentucky and Clermont counties around 11:40 a.m., a warning meant to last until 1 p.m. The National Weather Service also cancelled warnings for Warren and Hamilton counties just after 9:30 a.m.

The weather service never issued a storm warning for Butler County.

Northern Kentucky and Clermont counties received the most snow, with totals ranging from 6 to 9 inches, the weather service said in an alert.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear declared a statewide emergency around 9 a.m. He urged residents on Twitter to avoid traveling and said the deceleration gave local communities immediate access to resources -- including the National Guard -- to assist in public safety efforts.

Warren and Hamilton counties ended up with totals between 2 and 5 inches. Butler County got anywhere between 1 and 3 inches.

Mostly cloudy skies this afternoon should produce a high near 23 degrees. Those temperatures mean any moisture on area roadways is likely to freeze.

Ahead of the snow arrival Wednesday, Cincinnati road crews were equipped with 14,000 tons of road salt and tens of thousands of gallons of other melting agents. That wasn't enough to prevent dozens of crashes and other incidents reported Wednesday night.

Snow began accumulating by 7 p.m. on major roadways. Crashes and other incidents again piled up Thursday morning.

The conditions caused numerous cancellations and delayed flights. Check your flight status by clicking here or visiting: http://www.cvgairport.com/flight/status

The possibility of subzero temperatures and significant snowfall prompted officials to reopen the Drop Inn Center homeless shelter at 217 W. 12th St. in Over-the-Rhine, even though it officially closed for the season Feb. 28.

The shelter's upstairs area will be in use between Thursday through Saturday from 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. and can be accessed from the facility's back door.

Temperatures could drop below zero early Friday morning before a predicted high of 27 in the afternoon. There is a slight chance for snow again before noon on Saturday, but no accumulation is expected, according to the weather service.