Jeff Klein, Emergency Management Agency director for Wood County, has issued the following advisory:
The forecast has continued to remain constant for rain Thursday, drop of temperatures to a low of 10F early Friday morning. Winds of 35-40 mph with gusts up to 55 mph are expected. NWS Cleveland remains confident travel will be very hazardous throughout the day Friday.
Saturday winds will slightly be decreasing to 35 to 45 mph. Temperatures Friday and Saturday will be in the single digits, combined with the wind, dangerous wind chills will be forecasted.
Sunday (Christmas) will be dry with winds decreasing between 12-18 mph and high of 13F with a low of 4F. We may see a flurry on Monday with a low of 7F with a high of a balmy 24F.
There is low confidence with the snowfall from just about all meteorologists. The consensus is averaging 4 inches total for this event.
Reminders from Tuesday:
Concerns
- Dangerous winds and ice will make many roads impassable with whiteout/ blizzard conditions.
- Electrical lines down due to wind and ice.
- Waterline breaks.
- Dangerous windchills for those who are outside or lose power and/or heat.
- Wood County wind chills will be -10F for 36- 48 hours.
- Winds will be similar to Blizzard of ‘78
Action Items
- As always, monitor current weather conditions for your location.
- If you don’t have to be outside to not leave home.
- If you do go out and have an issue (accident/ slide off the road) have supplies to be prepared to wait several hours or more for a tow truck.
- Make sure people know where you are going and estimated arrival time in case you do not arrive.
- Have a plan where you will go (hotel, business, friend) in case conditions worsen and you cannot safely continue.
- Make sure your destination is open and/or accessible.
- Secure loose outdoor items including holiday decorations.
- Prepare for power outages: extra fuel for generators, make sure they start and whoever will be using them knows the correct, safe operating procedures.
- Have sufficient food and supplies for the weekend.
- Prepare for your pet’s needs.
- Check on your neighbors to make sure they are safe.
- Consider changing travel plans to avoid driving on Friday.
The National Weather Service (NWS) will be providing updates on social media throughout this event. The Wood County EMA will provide updates via email and social media. The primary concern will be the combination of the hazardous road conditions (high winds over snow over ice) as well as the extreme cold.
The EMA will continue to monitor and provide updates as appropriate.
