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Winter Storm Causing Power Outages And Slick Driving Conditions
By: Associated Press, Atish Baidya, Taylor Mirfendereski
Posted on:
UPDATE: 5:00 p.m. Ohio Department of Transportation officials say crews will continue to patrol and treat the state highway system during the evening and late-night hours as a winter storm progresses throughout the state.
Officials in District 10 said they have nearly 50 plows on the roads, salting and plowing. District 10 covers Athens, Gallia, Meigs, Hocking, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Vinton and Washington counties.
Officials in District 9 said they have more than 70 plows on the roads, and will continue to send more if road conditions become more severe.
"There is a potential that we could have upwards of 100 crews out before the end of the evening," said Kathleen Fuller, ODOT public information officer for District 9. "It'll depend on what transpires over the next couple of hours with precipitation."
District 9 covers Adams, Brown, Highland, Jackson, Lawrence, Pike, Ross and Scioto counties.
A winter storm warning remains in effect in Guernsey, Washington, Jefferson, Muskingum, Belmont and Noble counties (among others) through 6 a.m. Thursday.
The massive storm killed at least 6 people, dumped snow in parts of the Midwest, spurned tornadoes in the South, derailed travel plans for thousands of people returning home after Christmas and left thousands of American Electric Power customers without power Wednesday morning.
According to AEP Ohio's outage map, 930 Athens County customers are currently without electricity, and 853 customers in Jefferson County are also without power.
UPDATE: 3:50 p.m. The power is back on for hundreds of American Electric customers left in the dark Wednesday morning because of the massive winter storm marching its way north.
American Electric Power crews have been making progress restoring power to customers that lost electricity Wednesday morning.
Currently, only 497 customers in Fairfield County are without electricity. Earlier, as many as 1,016 customers were without power. According to AEP Ohio's outage map, customers in Pickaway County have had their power restored, but in Jefferson County, 853 customers are still without electricity.
The storm killed at least 6 people, dumped snow in parts of the Midwest, and spurned tornadoes in the South and derailed travel plans for thousands of people returning home after Christmas.
Northern and western parts of Ohio are already under blizzard or winter weather warnings where snowfall is expected to be heaviest.
The winter storm warning affects Guernsey, Washington, Jefferson, Muskingum, Belmont and Noble counties (among others) through 6 a.m. Thursday.
UPDATE: 1:20 p.m The power is back on for hundreds of American Electric customers left in the dark Wednesday morning because of the massive winter storm marching its way north.
American Electric Power crews have been making progress restoring power to customers that lost electricity Wednesday morning.
Currently, only 561 customers in Fairfield County are without electricity. Earlier, as many as 1,016 customers were without power. According to AEP Ohio's outage map, Pickaway County has 198 customers without power.
The storm killed at least 6 people, dumped snow in parts of the Midwest, and spurned tornadoes in the South and derailed travel plans for thousands of people returning home after Christmas.
US Airways announced it is waiving the change fee for customers who must alter their flights due to severe Christmas weather.
The airline is canceling the $150 charge for changing flights to and from 25 cities in eight states, including Ohio and in Canada where there are flight delays and cancellations.
For updated flight information from Port Columbus International Airport click here.
Drivers are dealing with slick road conditions.
The Ohio Department of Transportation said it has pretreated major highways in anticipation of ice and heavy snow.
ODOT officials in District 10 said they have more than 80 plows on the roads, salting and plowing. District 10 covers Athens, Gallia, Meigs, Hocking, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Vinton, and Washington counties.
Officials in District 9 said they have 55 plows on the roads. District 9 covers Adams, Brown, Highland, Jackson, Lawrence, Pike, Ross, and Scioto counties.
Northern and western parts of Ohio are already under blizzard or winter weather warnings where snowfall is expected to be heaviest.
The winter storm warning affects Jefferson, Muskingum, Belmont and Noble counties (among others) through 6 a.m. Thursday.
UPDATE: 12:30 p.m. A massive winter storm that killed at least 6 people, dumped snow in parts of the Midwest, and spurned tornadoes in the South is causing power outages and derailing travel plans for thousands of people returning home after Christmas.
American Electric Power crews have been making progress restoring power to customers that lost electricity Wednesday morning.
Currently, only 561 customers in Fairfield County are without electricity. Earlier, as many as 1,016 customers were without power. According to AEP Ohio's outage map the other counties in Southeast Ohio still dealing with power outages are:
Athens: 330
Mason: 758
The storm is causing an air travel headache for those trying to return back home after the holidays.
US Airways announced it is waiving the change fee for customers who must alter their flights due to severe Christmas weather.
The airline is canceling the $150 charge for changing flights to and from 25 cities in eight states, including Ohio and in Canada where there are flight delays and cancellations.
Drivers are dealing with slick road conditions. Dispatchers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol report at least a dozen minor accidents due to slippery road conditions across the region.
The Ohio Department of Transportation said it has pretreated major highways in anticipation of ice and heavy snow.
ODOT officials in District 10 said they have more than 80 plows on the roads, salting and plowing. District 10 covers Athens, Gallia, Meigs, Hocking, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Vinton, and Washington counties.
Parts of the region are under a freezing rain advisory until Wednesday afternoon, while counties in the northern area of Southeast Ohio are bracing for between four and eight inches of snow.
Northern and western parts of Ohio are already under blizzard or winter weather warnings where snowfall is expected to be heaviest.
Athens, Washington and Morgan counties are included in the advisory.
The winter storm warning affects Jefferson, Muskingum, Belmont and Noble counties (among others) through 6 a.m. Thursday.
UPDATE: 11:15 a.m. A massive winter storm that dumped snow in parts of the Midwest and spurned tornadoes in the South is causing power outages and derailing travel plans for thousands of people returning home after Christmas.
Currently, 1,016 customers in Fairfield County are without electricity. According to AEP Ohio's outage map the other counties in Southeast Ohio without power are:
Athens: 754
Cabell (WV): 126
Hocking: 451
Mason: 759
Air travelers are dealing with the impact of the winter storm.
US Airways announced it is waiving the change fee for customers who must alter their flights due to severe Christmas weather.
The airline is canceling the $150 charge for changing flights to and from 25 cities in eight states, including Ohio and in Canada where there are flight delays and cancellations.
Drivers are dealing with slick road conditions. Dispatchers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol report at least a dozen minor accidents due to slippery road conditions across the region.
The Ohio Department of Transportation said it has pretreated major highways in anticipation of ice and heavy snow.
Parts of the region are under a freezing rain advisory until Wednesday afternoon, while counties in the northern area of Southeast Ohio are bracing for between four and eight inches of snow.
Northern and western parts of Ohio are already under blizzard or winter weather warnings where snowfall is expected to be heaviest.
Athens, Washington and Morgan counties are included in the advisory.
The winter storm warning affects Jefferson, Muskingum, Belmont and Noble counties (among others) through 6 a.m. Thursday.
UPDATE: 9:51 a.m. A massive winter storm that dumped snow in parts of the Midwest and spurned tornadoes in the South is causing power outages and slick road conditions as it moves through Ohio.
Currently, more than 1,000 customers in Fairfield County are without electricity. According to AEP Ohio's outage map the other counties in Southeast Ohio without power are:
Athens: 107
Cabell (WV): 140
Hocking: 386
Licking: 569
Parts of the region are under a freezing rain advisory until Wednesday afternoon, while counties in the northern area of Southeast Ohio are bracing for between four and eight inches of snow accumulations.
Northern and western parts of Ohio are already under blizzard or winter weather warnings where snowfall is expected to be heaviest.
Dispatchers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol report at least a dozen minor accidents due to slick road conditions across the region.
The Ohio Department of Transportation said it has pretreated major highways in anticipation of ice and heavy snow.
Athens, Washington and Morgan counties are included in the advisory.
The winter storm warning affects Jefferson, Muskingum, Belmont and Noble counties (among others) through 6 a.m. Thursday.
UPDATE: 12/26/12 @ 7:45 a.m. Ohio motorists are being warned that driving conditions will deteriorate as a major winter storm moves in.
Parts of the region are under a freezing rain advisory until Wednesday afternoon, while counties in the northern area of Southeast Ohio are bracing for between four and eight inches of snow accumulations.
Northern and western parts of Ohio are already under blizzard or winter weather warnings where snowfall is expected to be heaviest.
Blowing snow could reduce visibility during the height of the storm, and strong winds may down power lines and trees, causing outages.
The Ohio Department of Transportation said it has pretreated major highways in anticipation of ice and heavy snow.
Athens, Washington and Morgan counties are included in the advisory.
The winter storm warning affects Jefferson, Muskingum, Belmont and Noble counties (among others) through 6 a.m. Thursday.
Parts of the region are under a freezing rain advisory until Wednesday afternoon, while counties in the northern area of Southeast Ohio are bracing for between four and eight inches of snow accumulations.
The freezing rain advisory suggests an ice accumulation of one-tenth of an inch could occur between Tuesday night at 10 p.m. and Wednesday at 1 p.m.
Winds could also gust up for 35 mph.
Athens, Washington and Morgan counties are included in the advisory.
The winter storm warning affects Jefferson, Muskingum, Belmont and Noble counties (among others) through 6 a.m. Thursday.
Heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain are all possible and snow fall could amount to an inch an hour in some areas.