The rains came but the snow, it seems, may not be as bad as originally thought.
Late Tuesday forecasters warned a winter storm could dump heavy rains on the area before mixing with and turning to heavy snow by Wednesday night.
Seth Binau with the National Weather Service in Wilmington says moist air is streaming up from Texas but there’s a definite border between it and drier air to the north.
“Whoever’s on the north side of that gradient is not going to get a whole lot of snow," Binau. "And then the people past the gradient, and in the heart of it, are certainly going to get snow. So that’s what we’re trying to figure out now, is just where that gradient is going to set up.”
As of midday Wednesday, Binau says the line appears to be along I-71 from Wilmington to Cincinnati, with points north getting less, if any, snow, and those south seeing two to five inches, with more snow falling farther south and east. He says the NWS still expects six to eight inches, though more wouldn’t be unusual.
He says some counties might see an inch or two of snow in the northwest, and five or six inches in the southeast corners.
Binau says while a mix of snow and rain and sleet is possible, an ice storm isn't expected.
What snow does fall is not expected to stick around for long. He says temperatures should “moderate” into the weekend. “There’s hope on the horizon,” Binau says. The long range forecast indicates afternoon highs in the 50s and 60s are possible by the middle of next week.
In anticipation of heavy snow, several colleges and universities canceled classes and activities by midday Wednesday, including the University of Cincinnati, Xavier, Cincinnati State, and Thomas Moore College. Other businesses and offices, including the Hamilton County Auditor, Recorder, and Treasurer’s offices also closed early.
Our news partner, WCPO, has alist of closings, postponements and other weather related cancelations.
