Photos captured by Tony Jones of The Cincinnati Enquirer
One of West Chester’s coolest sledding spots is located at Voice of America Park.
For more West Chester and Liberty Township photos, there are many other events captured on our Flickr photostream and more West Chester and Liberty Township related photo galleries on our Photos page.
Also, remember to share your photos through the Photos page or by email akiefaber@westchesterbuzz.com.
Cincinnati Enquirer’s Mark Curnutte reports:
Monday morning commuters were greeted with patchy fog, a thunderstorm and blustery air as Greater Cincinnati’s weather continues to behave more like March than January.
Just two days after the region was encased in ice, the temperature will reach a high of 52 degrees around 10 a.m. Monday, the unseasonably warm air accompanied by a possible thunderstorm, according to the National Weather Service. Southwest winds ranging from 17 to 23 miles an hour will gust up to 40 miles an hour.
The chance of precipitation Monday is 80 percent. About 1/10 of an inch of rain is expected.
The low Monday night is expected to hit 30 degrees, with winds calming to 8 to 16 miles an hour.
Temperatures are expected to reach highs into the 40s through the week, peaking at around 50 on Friday.
The chance of rain will be 50 percent Wednesday night and 40 percent Thursday. The forecast shows highs of 43 and 38 degrees Saturday and Sunday, with mostly sunny skies.
The temperature climbed through the day Sunday, reaching 42 degrees at 6 p.m., providing relief from the ice storm that hit the region Friday night and Saturday morning.
An 1/8 inch of ice coated vehicles, trees and power lines, leaving about 4,000 Duke Energy customers without electricity overnight Friday. Drivers needed about 30 minutes with their engines running and an ice scraper to clear their vehicles.
By 4 p.m. Saturday, only three homes were dark. Most of the day, the bulk of the homes without electricity – at one time more than 1,300 – were in Butler County, according to Duke’s website.
Cincinnati Enquirer’s Jennifer Edwards Baker reports:
The National Weather Service in Wilmington has issued a winter weather advisory from 6 p.m. Friday through 11 a.m. Saturday for Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and southeastern Indiana.
Up to one tenth of an inch of light freezing rain and about an inch of snow is expected and could start falling as early as 4 p.m.
The wintry mix will begin around evening rush hour and continue overnight. Travel may be difficult at times, especially on highway overpasses and exit and entrance ramps. Motorists will want to reduce speed and drive with caution.
In the hours before the storm strikes, it will be 32 degrees Friday afternoon with increasing clouds. The overnight low will fall to 28 degrees and into the upper teens or possibly the single digits with the wind chill.
Once the snow stops Saturday, it will be mostly cloudy with a high near 34. The low Saturday night will be 25.
The clouds will move out Sunday, the start of a warming trend that will carry through early next week.
Sunday should be sunny with a high of 53, but showers and thunderstorms are likely Sunday night and Monday.
Temperatures will remain mild for this time of year Monday with another high of 51 degrees.
Tuesday looks sunny, but the high temperature will slip into the lower 40s.
Overnight lows will be in the 30s.
There’s a 70 percent chance snow showers will develop after 3 p.m. Thursday across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
Any accumulation will be minor – less than a half inch is possible. The snow should stop by 8 p.m.
It was 25 degrees Thursday morning at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The high later will only reach 36.
The overnight low will be a brisk 18 degrees.
On Friday, there’s a chance for rain or freezing rain, mainly after 5 p.m. It will be mostly cloudy with a high near 33.
The timing and intensity of this storm system still remain uncertain, meteorologists said early Thursday.
The wintry mix will continue falling overnight until about 3 a.m. Saturday. The low will remain around 33 degrees.
In all, about a quarter of an inch of rain or ice is possible.
Saturday should be mostly cloudy with a high near 38. The low will fall to 28.
A warming trend will begin Sunday with a high of 49. It will be mostly cloudy.
By Monday, the high temperature should hit 53 degrees. There’s a 40 percent chance of rain showers.
Tuesday’s high will remain in the low 50s with plenty of sun.
Additional information for West Chester residents: There appears to be even a stronger chance of snow showers this afternoon in West Chester than in other parts of Greater Cincinnati. The National Weather Service’s forecast says there is a 90 percent chance of precipitation during the day and the possibility of less than a half inch of snow accumulation. This evening show showers can be expected until 7 p.m. and another half inch of accumulation is possible.
Janice Morse and Jennifer Edwards Baker report for The Cincinnati Enquirer
After a tumultuous Tuesday, the region’s wild ride on the weather rollercoaster will continue through Friday, forecasts say.
Following a downpour that left some roads impassable because of high water Tuesday, snow and wind gusts up to 40 mph were predicted for late night Tuesday and early today in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio.
Temperatures dramatically dropped Tuesday from nearly 60 degrees at noon to the 30s by nightfall as a cold front blasted down from Canada. With the wind chill factored in, the low could bottom out around 10 to 15 degrees. But later today, skies should turn sunny and temperatures could increase to the mid-30s.
Another Canadian cold front will push down Thursday, bringing the potential for minor accumulations of snow, an inch or less, before 4 p.m., Weather Service meteorologist Jim Hickman said.
More snow will fly late Friday afternoon and Friday night, but it’s too soon to say how much. The high will be around 35 degrees.
“The more significant weather system will be Friday night,” Hickman warned. “It could be a mixed bag of precipitation: sleet, snow and rain.”
Tuesday’s weather havoc began with a downpour around 8:30 a.m. Within two hours, creeks and streams in Whitewater Township were spilling over banks and high water was washing over roads from Green Township to Columbia Parkway in the East End. (more…)
Cincinnati Enquirer’s Jennifer Edwards Baker reports:
Temperatures will dramatically drop Tuesday from nearly 60 degrees at noon to the 30s by nightfall as a cold front blasts down from Canada.
As the mercury takes a nosedive, showers and thunderstorms will blanket Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky along with winds that could gust as fast as 45 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
A half inch of rain or more also is expected.
A downpour about 8:30 a.m. left high water on roads across the region and caused at least one bad accident that shut down westbound Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway in Springfield Township.
It also may have caused another mudslide on westbound Columbia Parkway between Torrence and Kemper lanes in the East End, according to city officials.
Road crews are checking on either a mudslide or patch of ice reported on the main east-west thoroughfare about 9 a.m., said Michael Moore, director of the city’s department of transportation and engineering.
“We are not sure if it’s mud that came over the wall or remnants from ice from the weekend,” he said.
All lanes remain open at this time, Cincinnati police said.
High water has closed a couple lanes on Rybolt Road at Harrison Avenue near Interstate 74 in Green Township, according to Hamilton County emergency communication reports.
The road remains open and is passable at this time, but if it continues to rain, the area may have to be shut down, reports state. Motorists should expect delays in this area.
An accident with injuries due to high water in the road was reported about 9:30 a.m. on westbound Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway at Hamilton Avenue in Springfield Township. Police closed the highway in that area until further notice.
As the rain falls Tuesday, temperatures will plunge into the upper 30s by 6 p.m. Overnight, they will sink lower into the 20s. With the wind chill factored in, the low could bottom out around 10 to 15 degrees.
It will be sunny but brisk Wednesday with a high of 35. The overnight low will fall to 26.
Another Canadian cold front will push down Thursday, bringing the potential for minor accumulations of snow, an inch or less, before 4 p.m., Hickman said.
More snow will fly late Friday afternoon and Friday night, but it’s too soon to say how much. The high will be 35 degrees. The overnight low will slip just a bit to 31.
“The more significant weather system will be Friday night,” Hickman warned. “It could be a mixed bag of precipitation: sleet, snow and rain.”
If the mild weather continues, West Chester Township figures to save thousands of dollars that could be used towards road maintenance, core competencies or for eliminating future tax increases.
So far this winter, West Chester has yet to accept delivery of additional salt and have not needed to pay for extra labor. In fact, the township has only used salt that was purchased for last year.
According, to West Chester spokeswoman Barbara Wilson, “our domes are full.”
“West Chester contracts for road salt at the beginning of each winter season and actually purchases the salt as needed throughout the season,” Wilson said. “It is our practice to keep the salt domes full and hold over any unused salt for use the next season.”
While it is not known how much the township has spent this winter on snow removal, two winters ago it spent more than $500,000. Last winter, the township spent $338,150.
“If we have a mild winter, such that the township does not spend as much as usual from its roads fund on snow plowing, the monies saved would not be moved to another fund,” West Chester Township Trustee Catherine Stoker said. “They would be expended as needed on other township road maintenance needs in the coming months.”
Furthermore, if the mild winter continues, the township will likely save money on energy costs. Those savings would remain in the same fund for future utility expenses, according to Stoker.
Posted in: Government, News |
Cincinnati Enquirer’s Jennifer Edwards Baker reports:
The weather forecast is a mixed bag this week, offering everything from sun and mild temperatures to rain and snow.
There’s a 40 percent chance for rain on Monday with a high near 43 degrees, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington. New rainfall will be less than a tenth of an inch.
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm are likely Monday night. The low will be around 40. Up to three quarters of an inch of rain is possible.
Rain is expected again on Tuesday with a high near 52 degrees.
In all, 1-2 inches of rain could douse the region between Monday and Tuesday.
The rain will mix with snow showers after 8 p.m. Tuesday. The low will be 24 degrees. Winds could gust up to 28 mph.
The sun will make a welcome return on Wednesday, but it will remain cold with a high only of 31. The overnight low will be 25.
There’s a 40 percent chance for snow showers Thursday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. It will be mostly cloudy with a high near 36.
Looking ahead to the weekend, temperatures will start climbing Friday with plenty of sun and a high of 37. Saturday will be mostly cloudy with a high near 47.
By Sunday, the high will hit 59 degrees.
Overnight lows will be in the 30s and 40s.
Some more snow could fall Friday, but the biggest issue could be the wind chill.
According to the National Weather Service, wind chill values in West Chester could be as low as -2 degrees.
The forecast is also calling for a chance of snow showers after 10 a.m. The chance of precipitation is 30 percent and half inch of daytime snow accumulation is possible.
Tonight, there will also be a chance of snow showers mainly before 11 p.m. Another half inch of new snow accumulation is possible.
As of right now, the National Weather Service is forecasting a slight chance of snow Saturday night.
Cincinnati Enquirer’s Carrie Whitaker reports:
Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky didn’t wake to snow-covered front yards and streets this morning but were greeted with a wind chill near zero degrees.
The actual temperature will be in the high teens and by mid-day reach the upper 20s.
Overnight the region got a dusting of snow.
Officially a little more than half an inch was recorded at the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky International Airport over the last 12 hours, but it hasn’t stuck around, as less than a quarter inch is now measured there.
By 8 a.m. the temperature at CVG was 17 degrees, but wind chill made it feel more like 1 degree.
The winter weather advisory issued yesterday by the National Weather Service remains in affect until noon, with intermittent snow showers expected.
Some areas may still see an inch of snow accumulate today, according to the most recent forecast released by National Weather Service’s Wilmington office at 4 a.m.
Cincinnati and most areas are expected to get less than a quarter inch. (more…)
Update: 11:33 a.m. - The National Weather Service in Wilmington has recently issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Butler County and Southern Ohio.
The advisory is in effect from 2 p.m. Thursday until noon Friday.
Accumulations of 1-to-2 inches of snow is possible through Friday morning.
Rain will change over to snow from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Cincinnati metro area.
Winds will be between 15-and-25 mph. Gusts could reach as high 35 mph.
Water main break update: Cox Road at Kingsgate to re-open Thursday afternoon after water main break closed the West Chester intersection Wednesday morning. The road, however, will be closed again Friday after 9 a.m. for asphalt. Motorists are advised to detour around the area by taking Tylersville Road.
Amanda Seitz reported Wednesday afternoon for the Cincinnati Enquirer:
Rain showers Thursday morning will give way to snow showers, just in time for afternoon rush hour in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, the National Weather Service predicts.
Although the snow may accumulate only an inch or two on the ground, “it may be the most snow we’ve seen” this winter, said Myron Padgett, meteorologist at the Weather Service in Wilmington.
The region’s northern counties could see more snow than the southern ones, the Weather Service said.
Snow will continue to cascade through the weekend. Another half-inch should accumulate Friday, with temperatures in the 20s. Wind gusts up to 25 mph are expected today and Friday. Another half-inch of snow is expected Saturday night.
The snow is likely to turn into slush by early next week when temperatures climb back into the 40s. January, typically one of the coldest months for Ohio, is expected to remain relatively mild, the Weather Service said.
Additional notes for West Chester residents: The National Weather has most recently reported (9 a.m. Thursday) that there will be a chance of rain and show showers between 3 and 4 p.m. then a chance of snow showers after 4 p.m. Snow showers are likely to continue throughout the night. However, little or no snow accumulation is expected.
Potentially snow could melt on contact with roads and then refreeze, causing icy conditions on untreated roads
Furthermore, snow showers are likely before 7 a.m. Friday. Again, little to no snow accumulation is expected.
Late on Saturday, there will be a slight chance of snow showers before 1 a.m.
