CINCINNATI — "Please stay home this weekend" — that's the message from city officials as a winter storm nears Cincinnati.
Mark Riley, director of the Department of Public Services, said crews are "prepared, well-supplied and ready to respond" to the projected snowfall. He said the city has 65 drivers working 12-hour shifts beginning Saturday morning, with additional trucks and personnel on standby as needed.
Riley said the city began pretreatment earlier this week and will continue to prep the roads ahead of snowfall, which is projected to hit the Tri-State Saturday. At that time, crews will begin working around the clock to clear roads. The city currently has 20,000 tons of salt available for the weekend, with more arriving on Tuesday.
"Residents are strongly encouraged to stay home, stay warm and stay off the roads during the storm," Riley said. "Staying off the roads helps our crews work safely and efficiently."
Watch the full press conference here:
If you must drive, officials recommend driving slowly, leaving extra stopping distance and making room for plows.
City Manager Sheryl Long announced she is declaring a snow emergency for the city, which differs from the typical Level 1, 2 and 3 snow emergencies declared by the county. This designation means drivers cannot park in city streets marked as snow emergency routes. If you are parked on these routes, the city can tow your vehicle or issue a fine.
Here are the routes in each district:
- District 1: Reading Road (from Central Parkway to Paddock Road), Vine Street (from Mitchell Avenue to 3rd Street), Gilbert Avenue (from Broadway to McMillan Street)
- District 2: Eastern Avenue (from Delta Avenue to Eggleston Avenue), Madison Road (from Woodburn Avenue to Plainville Road), Marburg Avenue, Observatory Avenue
- District 3: Glenway Avenue (from W. Corp Line to W. 8th Street), Queen City Avenue, Harrison Avenue, River Road
- District 4: Ridge Road, Montgomery Road, Woodburn Avenue, Wm. H. Taft Road, Paddock Road
Officials asked the public to be patient as crews work to ensure the roads are passable as snow continues to fall throughout the weekend.
"The long duration of the snowfall means that this is a marathon, not a sprint. It might even be an ultramarathon at this point," Long said.
We previously covered the plethora of unplowed streets in places like Mount Adams, Northside and more during last year's snow. City officials have since announced new updates to weather operations this year, including equipping additional vehicles with plows to bolster the fleet and using a new de-icing product to help treat roads.
Officials also announced new technology that can document where snowplows have been and what treatments have been done to each road. A new snowplow tracker system went live for the general public during snow earlier this winter. However, there were multiple intermittent outages.
Have a question or issue connected to the city's snow response? Reach out to Connor Steffen here:
During Friday's press conference, officials said they expect the snowplow tracker to work better, though some outages can be expected.
For people who might not have a place to stay this weekend, Long said Cincinnati is activating its extreme winter weather daytime shelter at the St. Anthony Center (located at 1615 Republic Street).
The center will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday through Monday. Free food, drinks and connections to services will be available. Metro will also provide transportation from the center to Shelterhouse for people who need a place to stay overnight.
The National Weather Service has the entire area under a Winter Storm Warning starting Saturday at 10 a.m. through noon Monday.
Our 9 First Warning Weather Team says they have high confidence that everyone in our area will see at least 6 inches of snowfall. However, the southern parts of our viewing area could get sleet that bring down expectations. If snow holds on long enough, snowfall numbers would continue to climb well over 10 inches.
You can check our current forecast right here.
