Lorain County largely shut down (UPDATED/VIDEO)

Update: This morning (Friday), Lorain County downgraded its snow advisory to a Level 1. The designation declares driving hazardous. The National Weather Service is reporting a chance of snow showers, mainly before 3 p.m. with a high near 19. Daytime snow accumulation of less than a half-inch is possible. A winter storm warning remains in effect for Lorain County as well as Erie, Huron, Cuyahoga, Lake, Wyandot and Crawford counties to 7 a.m. today as Winter Storm Landon moves through the area. The National Weather Service called for a total accumulation of 6 to 10 inches Thursday with winds gusting as high as 35 mph and blowing snow. NWS measured snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour, coupled with three-quarters of a mile visibility on roadways throughout Thursday. It, the Ohio Department of Transportation and local authorities urged residents to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. Lorain County Sheriff's Office Capt. Richard Bosley said they'd responded to a couple of crashes and spinouts throughout the day, but nothing too serious. "People seem to be slowing down or trying to stay off the road," he said. Sheriff Phil Stammitti issued a Level 1 emergency early in the day, declaring travel hazardous with blowing and drifting snow, and warning of ice. At 3 p.m. the emergency level was increased to Level 2. At Level 2, only those who feel it is necessary to be out on the roads should venture out, according to the state. All Level 3, all roadways are closed to non-emergency personnel. Huron County was at Level 3. Erie County just to the west was at a Level 3 emergency early Thursday. Bosley urged county residents to check with employers before leaving for work, and if able, find a good movie or book and enjoy the evening with their families rather than venturing out on the roads. Weather conditions forced Elyria to close Gulf Road between Burns and Hilliard roads. Ohio Highway Patrol Sgt. Ray Santiago said by midday Thursday troopers had responded to more than 363 crashes and 485 disabled vehicles statewide in a 14-hour span. As of the afternoon, the State Highway Patrol hadn't responded to any injury crashes, he said, and suspected drivers were being cautious — or staying home. For those who do have to travel, he urged them to be prepared, plan ahead and be patient, as poor road conditions and low visibility was going to make travel a slow-go. Gusting winds as high as 35 mph and continued snowfall were expected through the night. At least six semitrailers had jackknifed by noon on the stretch of the Ohio Turnpike covered by the Amherst Fire Department, according to Chief Jim Wilhelm.His volunteer crew was kept busy all morning, from Baumhart road in the west to the 142 exit in Elyria Township to the east. Turnpike officials had tried to prevent wrecks by pre-emptively banning certain types of trucks through noon Friday — "high-profile vehicles" such as double- and triple-trailer haulers, mobile home and office trailers, boat and horse trailers and bigger campers. Wilhelm said that didn't stop semis from rolling through and sliding in the poor conditions. One semitrailer spilled fuel all over the Turnpike near the Baumhart Road exit in an incident that normally would have required Ohio Environmental Protection oversight, but the EPA wouldn't send anyone out in the storm. "They told the Turnpike guys to do what you can do with it," the chief said. "It was already out of the tank and in these conditions, there's nothing you can do with it anyhow." The roads were a mess all over western Lorain County, Wilhelm said, and he was astounded the Sheriff's Office had not put a Level 3 snow emergency in place. The one bright spot, according to Wilhelm: Amherst firefighters had not been called to Route 2 for any crashes or rescues by midday. That's a rarity: The section that crosses the western part of the county is notorious for problems even in sunny weather. "I think people are paying attention," Wilhelm said. Still, he wasn't taking any chances. He had a crew of seven standing by overnight in anticipation of conditions growing worse. While the snow was no lighter, conditions were much calmer in the southern half of the county, according to Wellington fire Chief Mike Wetherbee. His district, the largest by square mileage, had no call-outs the entire morning. "Things have been pretty quiet down here. I think a lot of people are just staying home, staying off the roads," he said. Wetherbee called in firefighters to staff the station overnight for the duration of the storm in case it got worse, but had fingers crossed they would not be needed. By midafternoon, Avon police were relieved there had only been two crashes on Interstate 90, neither with injuries, according to Public Information Officer Jim Drozdowski. Five other motorists had slid off the side of the road and needed to be rescued, and officers were right there to help, he said. "There's traffic moving, but it's moving at a slower pace," he said about the highway, noting that volume was way down. "… People have heeded the warnings to stay off the roads." Jason Lowery, owner of Auto Details in Elyria, spent much of Thursday plowing his own property and several others. While his Ford F-250 Super Duty had little issue in the snow, he did say the roads had gotten steadily worse as the day progressed. "The roads this morning were not bad at all," he said, noting the worst part this morning was trying to find somewhere open to get coffee. "This afternoon I was out again and they were much, much worse this afternoon and they're getting a lot worse now." He handles about a dozen smaller accounts, between his own business' lot, to driveways for friends and family in Elyria, one in LaGrange and one in Grafton. While he wasn't worried about driving around, he said there does come a point where clearing the lots becomes an issue due to accumulation. "That is a problem," he said. "I'm glad that actually rained and was a little warmer yesterday because it knocked out all the big piles of snow that I have at my own shop … It definitely piles up and unless you have a larger truck with a larger plow, it's hard to stack that snow and push it up the pile." Mercy Health Lorain Hospital has issued a warning about health hazards associated with winter weather. "Most people associate hypothermia or frostbite with cold weather, but it can also impact your health — specifically your heart — in ways you may not expect," said cardiologist Manuel Cortes. "Your body tries to protect itself from the cold by constricting blood vessels to retain heat. This forces your heart to work much harder to get oxygenated blood around the body." He offered advice for anyone who plans to be outside in the coming days, whether shoveling, snowblowing, sledding or just enjoying the snowfall: Be sure to take breaks and limit your time out in the cold. Low temperatures are especially dangerous — and potentially life-threatening — to the elderly, people with existing heart conditions and those with other risk factors such as diabetes. If you start experiencing chest pain or pressure, lightheadedness or shortness of breath, get help immediately, Cortes said. Several closures and postponements have been announced due to the weather. Traffic alerts Elyria — Gulf Road is closed between Hilliard and Burns. Signs and barricades will be posted. Parking bans Amherst — Parking is prohibited on residential streets through 5 p.m. Friday. Elyria —Street parking is banned until Saturday. Grafton — No parking on village streets through midnight Friday. Lorain — A snow parking ban is in effect. Parking is not permitted on any city street. Violators will be towed. North Ridgeville — Emergency snow ban is in effect until noon Friday. No parking on any city street. Oberlin — Voted in 2021 to kill its parking ban, but Wednesday asked residents not to park on residential streets so that emergency workers and plow crews can do their work. South Amherst — Asking residents not to park on village streets and to remove trash containers from the curb. Vermilion — Emergency snow parking ban in effect. Street parking is banned. Officials will re-evaluate conditions Friday. Wellington — Street parking is prohibited when snowfall exceeds 2 inches. Public buildings and services Avon Lake Municipal Court will be closed today (Friday). Lorain County offices and the County Administration Building will be open Friday. The Lorain County Justice Center building will be open Friday. The Lorain County Clerk of Courts office is open. The County Adult Probation Department offices in Elyria will be closed Friday. Probate Court Judge James Walther's court will be closed Friday. Lorain County Metro Parks parks and park facilities are closed. Lorain County Public Health, including the Lorain County WIC clinics are closed. Oberlin Public Library — Closed today (Friday). South Amherst — Village offices will be closed Thursday and Friday. Trash services Elyria — Trash pickup delayed. Lorain — Republic Services has suspended its trash pickup and expects to resume Friday, on a one-day delay weather permitting. Oberlin — Refuse and recycling pickup will go as scheduled, though there may be weather-related delays. Public meetings Avon — The organizational meeting of the 2022 Avon Charter Review Commission has been rescheduled to 7 p.m. on Feb. 10 in City Hall. Food banks/mobile pantries Lorain — Second Harvest and Lorain City Schools canceled Thursday's Drive-Thru Mobile Pantry at Longfellow Middle School. There are no plans to reschedule at this time. Families are asked to plan to attend distributions at Brookside High School on Feb. 16 and Black River Landing on Feb. 17. Schools Amherst Schools — Classes are canceled Friday (Feb. 4). Avon Schools — Classes are canceled Friday (Feb. 4) Avon Lake Schools — Friday (Feb. 4) will be a remote learning day. All buildings are closed and all activities are canceled. Columbia Schools — Classes are canceled Friday (Feb. 4). Elyria — Classes and after-school activities are canceled Friday (Feb. 4). Firelands Schools — Classes are canceled Friday (Feb. 4). Keystone Schools — Classes are canceled Friday (Feb. 4). Lorain County Early Learning Center — Closed Friday (Feb. 4). Lorain County Joint Vocational School — Classes are canceled Friday (Feb. 4). Lorain County Community College — Campuses are closed through Friday (Feb. 4). Lorain Schools — Classes are canceled Friday (Feb. 4). North Ridgeville Schools — Classes are canceled Friday (Feb. 4). Midview Schools — Classes are canceled Friday (Feb. 4). Oberlin Schools — Classes are canceled Friday (Feb. 4). Sheffield-Sheffield Lake Schools — Classes are canceled Friday (Feb. 4). Vermilion Schools — Classes are canceled Friday (Feb. 4). Wellington Schools — Classes are canceled Friday (Feb. 4). Cold weather resources Local news — The electronic editions of the Chronicle-Telegram and the Medina Gazette will be free to access Thursday and Friday. Click the image of the newspaper along the right rail on either website to open the digital replica of the print newspaper. Check your weather report by zip code — National Weather Service Realtime traffic — OHgo Winter weather driving tips — NHTSA Extreme cold safety tips — Weather.gov