Central Ohio to wake up to ice, snow

Central Ohio commuters could be encountering slippery road conditions Monday morning because of an anticipated mixture of freezing rain, sleet and snow.

The National Weather Service in Wilmington issued a winter weather advisory that was to start at midnight and be in effect through early Monday afternoon.

The accumulation is expected to be light at 1 to 2 inches — with the higher amounts north of Interstate 70 — but the greater concern will be the freezing rain, said Myron Padgett, meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

City of Columbus crews were already out on Sunday afternoon, laying down an anti-icing solution on state routes, bridges and inclines, said Jeff Ortega, assistant director for the Columbus Department of Public Service.

The anti-icing formula is designed to prevent snow and ice from bonding to the pavement and also allows workers to clear the roads more easily, Ortega said.

The day crew is being brought in early to supplement regular crews, he added.

The city’s road crews’ progress can be monitored online at warriorwatch.columbus.gov once the bad weather starts.

Meanwhile, the Ohio Department of Transportation plans to have more than 200 snow plows on duty to cover central Ohio — including Franklin County and a number of other surrounding counties.

“Biggest concern is not accumulation, but icy conditions. That’s because the precipitation is likely to freeze on contact since subsurface areas are frozen given the bitterly cold conditions the last two weeks,” a statement from ODOT District 6 said.

Central Ohioans will be getting a weather break this week as the temperatures are expected to rise into the 50s on Wednesday and Thursday, Padgett said.

More winterlike conditions are expected to return next weekend as the high temperatures will only be in the 20s.