Cleveland Says It's Prepared For First Major Snow Of The Season

Northeast Ohio is under a winter storm warning until Wednesday morning. The National Weather Service predicts snow accumulations of between 4 to 9 inches with the wind chill dropping the temperature to the teens on Tuesday morning and the single digits on Wednesday.

As of 5:30 p.m. on Monday, the Ohio Department of Transportation reports nearly 500 crews working the roads, mostly in Northwest Ohio as the storm moves eastward.

In Cleveland, public works director Michael Cox says despite an early snowfall this year, the city is prepared with about 55 trucks on the road and extra drivers working 12-hour shifts.

“We have about 25,000 tons of salt on hand,” said Cox. “That’s more than enough to take care of several snowstorms.”

He says the city is also closely tracking its vehicles with a technology known as AVL, “which is Automatic Vehicle Locators that tells us where our trucks are, where our trucks have been, and how much salt they’re letting out.”

Cox says residents and drivers should expect main roadways to be plowed before residential streets.

At Cleveland Hopkins airport, several flights from Chicago have been delayed or canceled.

The National Weather Service warns drivers, “If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.”

A spokesperson for Cleveland says the city's recreation centers are open for regular business hours and can be used as warming locations.