CLEVELAND — New Year, new storm. January is kicking off with a tremendous amount of snow being dumped on parts of Northeast Ohio.
A new area of low pressure and a cold front will move in from the west on Friday, bringing widespread snow to the area. Lake effect snow will linger into the weekend.
Watches and Warnings
The National Weather Service has issued a Lake Effect Snow Warning until Sunday for the following counties:
- Ashtabula - Warning in effect until 7 a.m. Sunday
- Cuyahoga - Warning in effect until 7 p.m. Saturday
- Geauga - Warning in effect until 7 a.m. Sunday
- Lake - Warning in effect until 7 a.m. Sunday
- Portage - Warning in effect until 7 p.m. Saturday
- Summit - Warning in effect until 7 p.m. Saturday
Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake counties may see snow accumulation reaching up to 16 inches. Cuyahoga, Portage and Summit could see up to 10 inches of snow.
CLICK HERE to see the list of severe weather watches, warnings, and other weather alerts from the NWS that are currently active in our area.
Impacts:
- Roads, especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become slick and hazardous.
- Travel could be very difficult to impossible.
- Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility.
- The hazardous conditions could impact both commutes on Friday.
- Wind chills will fall into the single digits Friday night into Sunday morning.
Ways to stay safe
Be prepared for power outages, as high winds and snow could cause damage to trees and power lines.
If you must drive, make sure to have a winter storm kit in your vehicle consisting of the following items: Booster cables, flashlight, shovel, blankets and extra clothing. Also, take water and a first aid kit.
Radar
View the current Power of 5 Weather Radar below:
Power outages
Visit our Power Outage page to find links to see current power outages in Northeast Ohio and to report a power outage.
Traffic impacts
View our News 5 Traffic Map to see any road closures or delays due to the weather or crashes from the weather.
Warming Centers
Akron Mayor Shammas Malik announced the City of Akron is extending hours at the Summit Lake Community Center from Jan. 5-10 to provide a warming center for residents in need.
Send us photos, videos and reports of the weather
Please stay safe! Do not put yourself in danger to get a photo or video of severe weather. You can email photos and short videos to 5pics@wews.com and email storm reports and information to newsdesk@wews.com.
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