Overnight rain turned into snow early Friday morning causing dangerous driving conditions. Crews had their hands full as temperatures dropped dramatically, meaning wet roadways soon turned icy.
In addition to the snow and cold temperatures, wind is also going to be a factor through the weekend according to AccuWeather meteorologist Bill Deger.
“It’s going to be windy all day Friday, making it feel like its 20 or 25 below zero Friday night. There will also be a couple of inches of snow on top of that; it will blow around due to the wind,” Deger said. Deger says the total accumulation should be around one to three inches, but there is a caveat.
“It will be hard to measure because the wind will be really blowing it around on the road. But, we are looking at a White Christmas this year.”
Fortunately, it wasn’t a typical morning rush, as many drivers either had the day off or opted to stay at home a little longer. As a result, there were fewer than expected vehicle accidents. But crews stayed quite busy handling downed wires and trees.
Dozens of calls came rolling into the Butler County 911 Center beginning around 5 a.m. to deal with wires and trees.
As of 11 a.m. there are around 750 First Energy customers without power in Butler County. Central Electric is reporting around 480 customers without power.
Drivers are urged to stay off the roads today, but if you do have to travel, make sure to give yourself some extra time and be very careful on the roadways.
