NEWS

Ross, Pike at Level 2

Sara Nealeigh
Reporter

CHILLICOTHE - Snowfall increased from a light dusting to heavy flakes Tuesday afternoon, as commuters began their journey home, and by 7 p.m., Ross County had been elevated by the Ross County Sheriff's Office to a Level 2 Snow Emergency.Pike County followed suit and moved to a Level 2 at 9:45 p.m.

A Level 2 means roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow and that only those who absolutely need to be out on the roads should be. The ctounty had been under a Level 1 designation since just after midnight Tuesday.

The return of a second round of snowfall also had area school children who enjoyed a day away from classes Tuesday dreaming of a second day off on Wednesday. As of 10 p.m., students at all Pike County schools and at Huntington, Southeastern, Chillicothe, Unioto, Paint Valley, Adena, Zane Trace, Bishop Flaget, Ross County Christian Academy and Walnut Street Children's School had learned Wednesday classes were cancelled. Head Start students are also off, and Bishop Flaget's Ash Wednesday Mass was cancelled. The Ross County Genealogical Society, Goodwill Industries work centers, Elizabeth's Hope, Class Act, Love Inc. and Good Hands Habilitation Center  also had closed for Wednesday and the Chillicothe-Ross Chamber of Commerce's Big Class was cancelled. .

More than 100 Ohio Department of Transportation had been sent out across the area that makes up District 9, having pre-treated roadways and working to keep up with clearing more snow than had originally been forecast. By late morning Tuesday, traffic on major roadways was flowing well. By early evening when a second round of snowfall rolled through, those roads became slick again.

The National Weather Service, which received a report from one area of Ross County claiming to have received a total of seven inches of snow since Monday night, has extended a winter weather advisory that had been set to expire at 6 a.m. Wednesday back to 6 p.m. Occasional snow showers are expected through Wednesday afternoon with possible additional accumulations of one to two inches.

Snow Emergency Levels

Level 2: Pickaway, Ross, Pike

Level 1: Jackson, Vinton, Hocking, Fayette

Motorists are reminded to use caution while traveling.

Neither American Electric Power nor South Central Power are reporting any area power outages at this time.

Continue watching chillicothegazette.com and following our Twitter feed at #cgnow for weather-related updates throughout the day. Check out the current conditions on our Chillicothe Gazette SnowCam.