Winter weather leads to school closings, snow emergency

Winter returned abruptly on Wednesday, as temperatures plummeted and the National Weather Service placed Lorain County under a lake effect snow warning through today. All of north central and Northeast Ohio was placed under the warning at 1:30 p.m. by the National Weather Service of Cleveland and will remain under it until 7 p.m. today. On Facebook, the Weather Service said that areas under the warning could expect between 4 and 10 inches of snow, and projected 4 to 6 inches for Elyria. The NWS warned that evening commutes could be treacherous, as rapidly falling temperatures turned a rainy day to a snowy one and froze water on the ground into ice. In the announcement, the Weather Service said that the change was brought on by a cold weather system down from the northwest expected to drop temperatures into the low teens Wednesday night, with a possible windchill of zero. Further cold, low pressure systems are expected to arrive in Northeast Ohio through the weekend and up to next Tuesday, continuing the harsh return of winter weather. "Low temperatures in the single digits and wind chills below zero are possible daily through Tuesday," the warning said. "Additional chances for accumulating snowfall also exist in (Northeast Ohio)." Elyria said in a Facebook post that its plow crews were prepared for the storm, and asked residents to drive carefully and give plows plenty of room as snow accumulation begins. The Lorain County Sheriff's Office has issued a cold weather advisory on Wednesday, warning residents of potential dangerously low temperatures, and late Wednesday night, Lorain County was placed under a Level 2 snow emergency. The Sheriff's Office said it had coordinated with United Way of Greater Lorain County to provide warming center services from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday at 2726 Caroline Avenue, Lorain. For coordinated entry, call (440) 242-0455 and walk-ins are welcome from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The county's extreme weather protocol will also allow the Haven Center and St. Elizabeth homeless shelters to open additional cots to accommodate overflow once the regular shelter beds are full. Those seeking services should contact the Haven Center at (440) 277-9272 or St. Elizabeth Center at (440) 242-0056. St. Elizabeth serves only adult men; Haven Center serves individuals, couples and families. Residents seeking a warming center can call 211 or (800) 275-6106, 24 hours a day for live assistance, or visit 211lorain.org. Elyria Safety Service Director Chris Pyanowski said Wednesday that the city did not have immediate plans to open its warming center at the South Rec, but that it would actively monitor the temperature. Pyanowski said if the city does decide to open the warming center, it will be able to do so quickly and will announce the opening online and on social media. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.