Latest snow leaves Chillicothe covered

CHILLICOTHE -- Steady snow continues to fall over the Scioto Valley Thursday as a winter storm dropped a half-foot of the white stuff over Ross County and southern Ohio.

A winter storm warning remains in effect until 1 p.m. Thursday with snow tapering off as the morning ends. More than 100 snowplow operators from the Ohio Department of Transportation District 9 office are out and working to clear snow and ice from the roads. Primary and secondary roads are snow covered and slick.

The National Weather Service reports the heaviest snow fell along the Ohio River where Wheelersburg received 14.5 inches of snow (as reported by a trained weather spotter) and Lucasville and Portsmouth each received about 12 inches. Piketon reports 7.5 inches, while Lake White reported 8 inches. The official totals for Ross County vary between 5.5 and 6 inches for the most part.

A level 2 snow emergency is in effect for Ross County, which means residents should stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. Pike, Vinton and Jackson counties are under a level 3 snow emergency, meaning residents are under orders of the sheriff to stay at home and off the roads.

Ross County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Mike Preston said Ross County will remain at a level 2 snow emergency for the time being, noting that Sheriff George Lavender has been in contact with County Engineer Charlie Ortman, who has indicated area roads are passable.

"People need to use extreme caution when traveling," Preston said.

The OhGo.com website, which lets motorists see travel conditions across the state, reported no issues within Ross County as of 11 a.m. The Chillicothe post of the Ohio Highway Patrol reported no major issues in the area, although the state agency has received some calls about people being stuck in the snow.

No serious injury accidents have been reported, but a late Wednesday crash on Plyleys Lane knocked out water service for the Hesswood Hills and Bradford Court area. Service was restored, but residents in that area are under a boil advisory until 11 a.m. Friday.

Rumpke Waste & Recycling canceled its trash and recycling collections today for customers in several counties it services, including Ross and Pike. Weather permitting, today's normal collections will take place on Friday and Friday's normal collections will be done on Saturday.

All local schools are closed and both the main campus and the Chillicothe campus of Ohio University were closed today.