BOWLING GREEN—A storm system will arrive in northwest Ohio by midnight tonight, bringing several inches of snow and winds.

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is preparing for the following:

  • The weather system is expected to enter northwest Ohio by as early as 11 p.m. or midnight tonight.
  • The system could arrive as rain and transition quickly to snow. Accumulations of 4-7 inches are expected, with some areas receiving up to 8 inches in Defiance and Williams counties.
  • Wind gusts are estimated to be 25-30 miles per hour, with sustained winds of 15-20 miles per hour.
  • A break in the storm could occur at approximately noon Wednesday before another period of lesser snowfall begins.

“Once it starts to snow, we could see snowfall rates of an inch to an inch and a half per hour,” said Rod Nuveman, highway management administrator for ODOT District 1, based in Lima. “This will be a wet snow, but with the winds, we do expect some blowing and drifting to occur,” he said.

Motorists are reminded to be aware that ODOT trucks travel at slower speeds and to give them plenty of space to work. Last winter, ODOT plow trucks statewide were struck 62 times. So far this year, 21 plow strikes have occurred.