Clark County Engineer John Burr said snow removal crews had been out since 4 p.m. Sunday. They started seeing real progress Monday night and built on that throughout Tuesday.
“It’s just trying to keep (roads) open with the snow and the wind,” Burr said. “You’re not doing a whole lot of bells and whistles; you’re just running trucks, just trying to keep stuff open.”
Areas whose main roads are cleared were expected to start plowing residential streets Tuesday and later, Burr said.
The National Weather Service had multiple reports of over 6 inches of snow in southern Clark County from Sunday through Monday. Some isolated spots may have had more.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
School closures
All Clark County K-12 schools were closed for a second day Tuesday, both public and private schools. In Champaign County, which got a little less snow, schools were a mix of closed (Graham, Triad, WLS), and two-hour delays (Urbana, Mechanicsburg) on Tuesday.
Clark-Shawnee Superintendent Brian Kuhn said road conditions were the reason for Tuesday’s closure, adding that the district always considers the impact of the weather on buses and student drivers.
Spokeswoman Jenna Leinasars said Springfield City Schools’s decision to close was about the condition of the roads, but also the sidewalks, as she said many Springfield students walk to and from school.
Neither school district did any remote learning work on Monday or Tuesday. Kuhn said it’s not a part of Clark-Shawnee’s plan for weather calamity days. Leinasars said the COVID pandemic taught Springfield “that virtual learning does not work well in an urban setting.” She said many students don’t have access to the internet at home, and the school district does not send computer devices home with elementary students.
Clark State College operated virtually on Tuesday “out of an abundance of caution” due to the weather, with all buildings closed. Spring semester classes at Clark State don’t start until next Monday.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Weather forecast
The snow that’s on the ground now isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, as cold temperatures are forecast all the way through the weekend. After Wednesday morning lows around 12 degrees, the afternoon high will only climb to about 23. The normal high and low for this week are 37 and 22.
If there’s any saving grace the next few days, it’s that winds will stay light (under 10 mph) and the only snow we’ll see is flurries, according to the National Weather Service.
Thursday morning’s low will drop to about 5 degrees. After a sunny Thursday with a high of 19, temperatures will plunge to an overnight low around 2.
A chance of snow returns Friday or Friday night according to NWS, with highs in the 20s and lows in the teens for several days.
Snow removal
County Engineer Burr said the salt that was laid down is breaking up ice Tuesday, helping put county roads in better shape.
Clark County clears county roads, while the Ohio Department of Transportation takes state routes, except for in Springfield. The city of Springfield and several townships handle their own roads, with some shared agreements with Clark County, Burr said.
Burr said the snow is light and fluffy, so It can be moved even by light wind. There are some roads with a few wet spots of hard-packed snow, which crews are now working to melt, Burr said. A challenge they face is when snow blows into water on a road with salt, the salt becomes diluted and the water freezes back into ice.
Burr advised drivers to go slow and leave plenty of room to stop. Drivers should not pass plows, Burr said. One was side-swiped yesterday, and thankfully no one was injured.
“What you’ve got to remember is, four-wheel drive will help you go, but it don’t help you stop,” he said.
