Old Man Winter roared back into our area on Thursday, January 2 dropping around four inches of snow. By around 1 pm, most of the streets in the community had seen the plow at least once and a promise of more visits could be expected when we found John from Mad River Township “trying to make a dent in it” while plowing the Green Meadows subdivision.
Many parking lots were empty as those who did not need to get out and go to work elected to stay inside. Although school was not in session, not a single child could be found playing in the white stuff. Despite the winter conditions, we were able to find several delivery vehicles and service trucks working in the neighborhoods around the township and village.
We also found several people out shoveling or using the snow blower on driveways and sidewalks. With this being one of the more challenging winter seasons in several years, it is a good idea to also shovel out the fire hydrant near your home. Should a fire break out, crews will need to be able to access the hydrant and time trying to break through piles of snow and ice could cost valuable time in the case of an emergency.
The area has been challenged this new year as more snow and sub zero temperatures hit again just in time for a new work week and the return to classrooms for local students. Forecasters have indicated that the last time our area entertained temperatures well below freezing occurred in 1994. Mad River Township Trustee Joe Catanzaro stated “the roads are a top priority for our township.” Catanzaro indicated that the township stays prepared for the winter weather and will be out in force again if conditions warrant it.
If you have neighbors who may be unable to shovel for health reasons or age, it is a good idea to shovel at least a path to their door and up the driveway should emergency crews need to access the home.
Sunday’s round of precipitation turned out to be far less than projected, relieving some but disappointing others. Eric Jensen, a driver at Aqua Falls, was anticipating much more snow than our area actually received, as early predictions from many weather agencies were scattered across the board, with some calling for three to five inches, and others calling for 12 inches plus. “I’m very relieved, actually,” Jensen said of being spared several inches of snow. “During last week’s snowstorm, my route took three hours longer than normal. It just makes for a miserable day,” said Jensen.
The bulk of the storm turned out to be mostly rain, not changing over to the frozen stuff until 9 pm Sunday, and dropped just around one inch in Enon. That smattering of snow was quickly blown away by 30 to 40 miles per hour wind gusts that blew in on the heels of the storm. The winds and dramatic temperature changes quickly caused all of the remaining water on the roadways to freeze rapidly, which caused many slide-off accidents across the county.