Clark County drivers cautioned as bitter cold to remain

Bitterly cold temperatures will remain in the area through the weekend, as temperatures struggle to get into the 20s following the first snowfall of the year Thursday.

Early Friday morning, temperatures will be at or below zero degrees with wind chills factored in, then move into the mid-to-upper teens during the afternoon.

WHIO Stormcenter 7 Chief Meteorologist Eric Elwell expects the wind’s impact won’t be too great through the end of the week.

RELATED: Poor Will’s Clark County Almanack: First week of deep winter

“The good news about the weekend is that there’s not a whole lot of wind,” Elwell said. “Hopefully wind chills won’t be out of control.”

Saturday and Sunday will be similar to Friday, in that there’s little chance for precipitation, but it will be very cold to start the days. Temperatures Saturday morning are expected to be between zero and 5 degrees, without the threat of wind chills. Temperatures likely won’t get above 20 degrees through the weekend, hovering in the mid-teens, according to Elwell.

Much like last weekend, when temperatures spiked and then dropped back down toward freezing, a storm system coming in late Monday will bring warmer weather with it, a pattern Elwell called unusual for January. Instead of warmer temperatures for a short period in the middle of the month, the area is seeing a roller coaster pattern of colder and warmer weather.

“We’ve really seen a lot of ups and downs, more so than normal,” Elwell said.

Officials called on residents to be careful while driving on Clark County roads today following the snowfall Thursday.

Clark County County Engineer Johnathan Burr said he doesn’t expect roads to be awful, however he warned that looks can be deceiving. He said drivers should slow down.

“Just because where you are is clear, you don’t know what is coming up on you and by the time you are on it, it is too late,” he said.

He said road crews were out all day Thursday and would be out again early Friday morning. But there may still be some danger to drivers.

“We should have them all treated but there will be slick spots,” Burr said. “The roads are not going to be clear and dry, especially the outlying roads.”

Troopers handled six crashes in Clark County on Thursday. One accident occurred on Fairfield Pike near the corner of Fowler Road where a vehicle went off the road, crashed through a fence and landed on its top.

Officials at the scene said the driver was OK and wasn’t transported to the hospital.

About the Authors