Snow clouds dropped enough snow in northern Lawrence County Monday night to delay Symmes Valley schools by one hour, yet left the southern Ohio River valley with only a dusting.

Tuesday, January 18, 2000

Snow clouds dropped enough snow in northern Lawrence County Monday night to delay Symmes Valley schools by one hour, yet left the southern Ohio River valley with only a dusting.

"It was never touted as a big strong system, and it just missed us," said meteorologist Alan Rezek of the National Weather Service in Charleston, W.Va.

Now, the weak low pressure system is moving off to the east. But locations closest to its direct path – southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky – received the most snow accumulation, Rezek said.

Part of the system also passed over Ohio counties to the north, putting at least an inch on the ground in Scioto County and three inches in Gallipolis.

Huntington, W.Va., shared Ironton’s fate, receiving only trace amounts.

The Ohio Highway Patrol reported no accidents or calls about dangerous roads.

"It was not a real severe storm for us in this area, fortunately," Ohio Department of Transportation spokesperson Holly Snedecor-Gray said.

ODOT road crews took trucks out about midnight treating roadways as needed with salt and grits, she said.

By about 4 a.m. or 5 a.m., roads were snow-covered in the northern part of the county, Mrs. Snedecor-Gray said.

At 9 a.m., roadways were partly snowy and icy in spots, and crews were concentrating efforts in those areas, she said.

"We still urge people to drive with extra caution any time there’s a potential of ice and snow," she added.

Lawrence County road crews’ concerns will now turn to preparations for the next storm system, expected to arrive Wednesday night or Thursday morning, forecasters said.

"This is another little low that will be tracking over a similar path, maybe a little farther north," Redek said.

The Ohio River Valley is in a weather pattern with a strong west to east wind flow in the upper atmosphere, he said.

"Weather systems traveling along that wind highway are moving past us, with very little moisture to pick up," Rezek said, adding that means very little snow to leave behind.

The area also is not experiencing dangerous windchills below zero like the East Coast because the low pressure systems are not associated with extreme winds, Rezek said.

And when strong winds do hit the area, the temperatures are not very low, he said.

Meanwhile, ODOT is ready, Mrs. Snedecor-Gray said.

"We always keep an eye on the weather with a special computer system, and we always have trucks ready and filled when needed," she said.