Over three inches of snow blankets area Monday

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Residents in Hillsboro and the surrounding areas woke up to a little more than three inches of snow on the ground Monday morning, with slick roads causing a few accidents and two-hour delays triggered for Highland County schools.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Brian Coniglio told The Times-Gazette that more light snow is on the way, and that it will greet drivers on their way to work Tuesday with clearing skies in the forecast for the remainder of the day.

He said the weather system that moved through the region Sunday night and into Monday morning deposited three and a half inches of snow at the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

“Hillsboro received 3.3 inches of snow, and the further south you went the snow dropped off to an inch or two the closer you got to the Ohio River,” he said. “The maximum amounts were north of Cincinnati in Butler County where they got around four inches.”

Matt McGuire, public information officer for Ohio Department of Transportation District 9 headquarters in Chillicothe, said that advance preparations for the snowfall began early Sunday evening.

“We already had trucks loaded and ready, waiting in the garages for when the snow started to fall,” he said. “Drivers started to come in at 7 p.m. for our western counties, which include Highland and Brown, and the other drivers staggered their arrival times as the snow made its way east.”

By 10 p.m. Sunday, he said ODOT had its full compliment of drivers on the road, and due to the above freezing temperatures, road crews were able to provide drivers with mostly wet roadways.

“It also helped that the snow came across District 8 first, so we could talk to them and get some forewarning as to what to expect,” he said.

McGuire said that in preparation for the next 24 to 48 hours, ODOT would have some road crews doing districtwide patrol work in the event that the rain predicted for Monday night would change into freezing rain or wet snow.

The forecast for later in the week is for dry conditions and mild temperatures for the weekend.

As for the chance of a white Christmas, Coniglio said for this region a white Christmas only comes around about once every one in five years, and the long range forecast is showing above freezing temperatures for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

He said the last time the are was treated to a white Christmas was in 2010, when there was four inches of snow on the ground for Christmas morning.

Reach Tim Colliver at 937-402-2571.

A picturesque winter scene was captured Monday morning in Highland County south of New Market.
https://www.timesgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2019/12/web1_winter-wonderland.jpgA picturesque winter scene was captured Monday morning in Highland County south of New Market. Tim Colliver | The Times-Gazette
No white Christmas this year, says NWS

By Tim Colliver

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