Despite the Warning, Central Ohioans Still Surprised by Snowstorm

Although warned well in advance, the first snowstorm of the year still seemed to take most people by surprise. Weather reports began warning Ohioans that snow would start falling Tuesday night and into Wednesday, but remained optimistic that it was only amount to one to two inches for most areas of central and southern Ohio.

Citizens quickly learned that the snow estimates were going to be completely off. As school districts began closing left and right, many central Ohioans began a somewhat treacherous journey into work. One such central Ohioan had a particularly rough time getting to work, as she wasn't able to go much faster than 15 miles per hour as streets had yet to have been plowed, and she made it to work only to get stuck in the parking lot drive.

Other similar reports were heard throughout the day, as more snow continued to fall. Central Ohioan driver D. Smith had only one mishap, which took place in his own driveway. "I knew it was going to be an interesting drive into work this morning, but I didn't think it would start before I even left my own driveway." Mr. Smith went on to comment that he had spun out several times before making it onto the road. "I didn't think there would be this much snow so early in the day. They only reported that a few inches were coming. Driving to work was slow going, but since it was pretty early and school had been canceled, there weren't too many other cars on the road." Mr. Smith was thankful that by the end of his workday that the roads had been cleared "for the most part" and his trip home was uneventful.

While many students enjoyed their first snow day of the season with such activities as sledding, snowball fights and snow angel making, road crews battled what amounted to approximately 6 inches of snow that had finally stopped in the early afternoon.

While not nearly as hard hit as other areas of the country this week, central Ohioans were relieved to wake up Thursday morning to nothing more than bitter cold. However, today's sunshine may be misleading, as more snow is in the forecast for tonight!

Drivers are urged to winterize their cars in preparation of the season. In addition to the mechanical aspects, drivers should be prepared with simple survival items, such as blankets, light sticks, bottled water, and a charged cell phone.