Cold records
The low on Tuesday morning could reach negative 15 degrees.
Here are the 10 coldest days recorded in the area since 1893:
-28 degrees on Feb. 13, 1899
-25 degrees on Jan. 19, 1994
-25 degrees on Jan. 18, 1994
-24 degrees on Jan. 20, 1985
-22 degrees on Feb. 10, 1899
-21 degrees on Jan. 17, 1977
-21 degrees on Feb. 9, 1899
-20 degrees on Dec. 22, 1989
-20 degrees on Jan. 21, 1984
-19 degrees on Jan. 24, 1963
(Source: National Weather Service)
Closings and weather information
* Watch WHIO-TV, Channel 7 today for school closing information.
* Listen to WHIO Radio on 95.7-FM and AM-1290 for the latest traffic and weather news.*
* Get weather updates all day on WHIO.com and see a detailed list of closings, winter weather tips and more.
Winter weather safety tips
Here are some winter weather safety tips from the American Red Cross. For more tips on winter driving, utility savings and more, go to whio.com/s/winterweather
Wear layers of lightweight clothing to stay warm. Gloves and a hat will help prevent losing your body heat.
Don’t forget your pets - bring them indoors. If they can’t come inside, make sure they have enough shelter to keep them warm and that they can get to unfrozen water.
Protect your pipes - run water, even at a trickle, to help prevent your pipes from freezing. Open the kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Keep the garage doors closed if there are water lines in the garage.
Keep the thermostat at the same temperature day and night. Your heating bill may be a little higher, but you could avoid a more costly repair job if your pipes freeze and burst. If you are using a space heater, place it on a level, hard surface and keep anything flammable at least three feet away – things such as paper, clothing, bedding, curtains or rugs.
Turn off space heaters and make sure fireplace embers are out before leaving the room or going to bed.
Never use a stove or oven to heat your home.
Use generators correctly – never operate a generator inside the home, including in the basement or garage.
Commuters and students may have long drives and traffic delays ahead of them today if below freezing temperatures set in as predicted.
In addition to wet roads that are expected to freeze, Clark, Greene, Champaign and southern Montgomery counties were expected to get about 1 to 3 inches of snow. Preble and Miami counties are expected to get 3 to 6 inches of snow and Darke could see 6 to 8 inches of snow, according to News Center 7 meteorologists.
The Springfield area could see scattered show showers and flurries this morning and temperatures are expected to drop to -15 tonight.
On Sunday, anticipated snow did not blanket the region as expected, but a change in the storm system resulted in rain, said McCall Vrydaghs, a News Center 7 meteorologist.
“The track of that storm shifted north,” she said. “That allowed warm air to infiltrate the storm bringing mostly rain.”
In Northwest Ohio, a Level 3 snow emergency was declared in Lucas County on prompting the Toledo Zoo to close and the University of Toledo and Toledo Public Schools to cancel classes on Monday, according to Associated Press news reports. The Hollywood Casino in Toledo also closed early and expected to remain closed until the snow emergency is lifted.
More snow is expected for the Springfield area Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Clark County Engineer’s Office Jonathan Burr said he was unsure how long road crews would be on the roads, but he said he planned for 12 crews to work in 12-hour shifts until the roads were treated.
“It’s such a fine line when you start,” Burr said. “If I start putting materials out when it rains, it will get washed right off. there’s no pretreatment because it has been raining all day.”
Crews will be able to treat the roads once it starts to snow, he said.
“The other problem is we have no residue from the prior snow,” Burr said.
Leftover salt on the road from prior snow works like a pre-treatment, Burr said.
If temperatures dip too low, the salt is useless Burr said.
“We’re going to try to get everything off before it freezes,” Burr said.
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