SIDNEY — Overnight snow and high winds created problems for drivers on their way to work Tuesday morning.
And because of the road conditions, county schools were either delayed or canceled for the day.
“We’re just holding our own,” said Shelby County Engineer Bob Geuy around noon Tuesday. “Most of the roads are snow-covered and icy. Most are passable but they are definitely slick.
“With the wind coming in this afternoon, we’re probably looking at an all-day event,” said Geuy.
The county has 13 snow routes, which cover 390 miles. The 14 township trustees handle 321 miles for snow removal.
“Our roads were heavily salted from yesterday (Monday),” said Geuy. “We also put down liquid beet solution on our heavily traveled areas. That worked well until things were recoated this morning (Tuesday).”
Geuy said the crews hit the roads between 6-6:30 a.m. Tuesday. Because of the salting Monday, the roads were in good shape until the snows hit Tuesday morning.
“The snows started hitting us hard after that (6:30 a.m.),” said Geuy. “We may be out around the clock. We’ll make that call later in the day.”
Geuy said he’s not concerned about the county’s salt supply this year.
“The mild December really did us a favor there,” said Geuy.
Geuy said when temperatures fall below 20 degrees, the salt doesn’t help melt the snow and ice. He said the forecast for the next few days sees the temperatures rising, improving the county’s roads.
“We’re hoping to clear everything up before the next event hits us,” said Geuy.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office received numerous reports of vehicles spinning off roadways and into ditches or fields. Most of the incidents occurred Monday night and Tuesday morning.
Crews from the Ohio Department of Transportation District 7 have been out since Sunday keeping the highways in Shelby and Auglaize counties clear for drivers.
“In Auglaize they are using salt, salt brine and calcium,” said Mandi Dillion, District 7 public information officer. “In Shelby they are using salt brine and agricultural de-icer. We have 14 crews out in Auglaize and 12 out in Shelby.”
Tuesday afternoon, she said, most of the roads are in “decent shape.”
“They were covered this morning,” said Dillon. “They have had some drifting from the wind. Crews will continue to be out as long as they are needed. They will be hitting a lot of the bridges, ramps and overpasses especially after the sun goes down. They will be looking for any slick spots and working to keep things clear.”
Information from the city of Sidney wasn’t available at press time.
The five-day forecast from AccuWeather.com calls for a little snow Wednesday afternoon with a high of 20 degrees. Thursday will be mostly cloudy and not as cold with a high of 38 degrees.
Friday will be the warmest day of the week as temperatures top 40 degrees but then that brings a chance of rain. Snow will return on Saturday and Sunday with highs on Saturday around 36 degrees and on Sunday 25 degrees.
Overnight lows on Thursday and Friday will be just above the freezing mark. On Saturday and Sunday nights, the low will be around 19 degrees.
