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Heavy snow forecast falls short |
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Tuesday, 12 February 2008 |
By MIKE BURKHOLDER
Managing Editor
ST. MARYS — With weather forecasters calling for up to 9 inches of snow today, two safety officials say they had plans in place to deal with any significant snowfall.
On Monday, the National Weather Service in Wilmington issued a heavy snow warning for the region. Forecasts called for 1 to 3 inches Monday night and an additional 3 to 7 inches today.
However the National Weather Service rescinded the warning and issued a snow advisory early this morning, which is in effect for the region. It calls for 2 inches of snow into this afternoon. As of 10 a.m. today, the Grand Lake region had approximately an inch of accumulation.
“Inconsistencies of storms and changing weather patterns make it tough to plan ahead,” Auglaize County Sheriff Al Solomon told The Evening Leader. “We just have to monitor the actual weather and see what is coming.”
Solomon said he notified deputies of the impending storm to make sure everyone was prepared to handle any snow emergencies. The sheriff said since Auglaize County does not use the level system, monitoring the weather is vital.
“You try and plan ahead but it is hard,” Solomon said. “All shifts have call-in capabilities and we get updates from the county garage and what our units are seeing on the roads.”
In St. Marys, city crews cleared snow from sidewalks and roads this morning. Safety-Service Director Tom Hitchcock said calling in extra help during snowstorms is no problem.
“Our guys are told ahead of time if we are expecting a storm,” Hitchcock said. “We have an on-call list and they are usually eager to come in and get the overtime.”
Like Solomon, Hitchcock said his staff monitors weather forecasts to determine a plan of action for handling snow removal. With the forecast falling short, crews had little to remove this morning.
“If it starts snowing early we will be out salting and plowing,” Hitchcock said. “It is showing 9 inches and you see that and you could end up getting only 1 inch. We will be ready for it and let’s hope we don’t (get any snow).”
With forecasts calling for additional snow today, Hitchcock said crews will be ready to handle any precipitation. The safety-service director said supervisors Monday night called in a handful of personnel to handle snow removal.
“They called in a few people to do salt routes,” Hitchcock said. “They go out and salt bridges and main roads in case it gets icy out. If we do get more snow, we will be prepared for it.”
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Last Updated ( Friday, 15 February 2008 )
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