Winter Storm Elliott arrives in Northeast Ohio: Updates on flight cancellations and road conditions

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Winter storm Elliot has reorganized Christmas plans in northeastern Ohio, clogging roads and airports, preventing last-minute shopping and barricading homes.

Even if it snows, it looks like freezing temperatures will continue for at least a few more days.

The first major storm of the season hit early Friday morning, bringing snow, high winds and freezing temperatures. The gust reached 60 mph in parts of northeastern Ohio, powering thousands of people and chilling winds to 30 degrees below zero. Forecasters have called for blizzard warnings to be issued for Cuyahoga, Lake and Ashtabula counties.

By Friday afternoon, 3.4 inches of snow had fallen on Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, said Brian Mitchell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. But the amount of snow wasn’t the most pressing issue, with most cities in northeastern Ohio reporting two to four inches, Mitchell said.

Wind-blown snow obscured the icy road. As of 1:00 p.m. at the airport, visibility is about a quarter mile, Mitchell said. Lakewood’s Gold Coast neighborhood, near the Cleveland border, offers views of the city’s downtown skyline. But by 8am on Friday, the skyline was out of sight.

“There was definitely snowfall. Surely these winds would lift easily if there was snow on the ground. [the snow]said Mitchell.

Snow is expected to continue into Saturday night, Mitchell said.

“It’s going to be worse anywhere you go east, but if you look west, it’s still snowing. Maybe not a lot in terms of accumulation,” Mitchell said. There are still some snow showers left [Saturday] But again, not much real accumulation. ”

On Christmas Day, winds should ease, but gusts can still reach 30 mph. Wind chill can drop to about 10 degrees below zero.

“Certainly east of Cleveland, we’re still waiting for snow (towards Sunday) due to lake influence,” Mitchell said. “Mainly early on, it’s going to be the worst area with extra snow. It’s going up on the lakeshore east of Cleveland.”

blackout

According to FirstEnergy, seven northeastern Ohio county areas (Cuyahoga, Geuga, Medina, Summit, Portage, Lorraine, and Lake) experienced more than 21,000 power outages by Friday afternoon. Over 20,000 stops.

flight cancellation

A number of flights have been canceled at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Airplanes have been grounded from all over the country, not just because of the weather here. As travelers prepare, airport spokesman John Goersmeyer strongly recommends checking with the airline first to find out if the flight has been cancelled.

Travelers can also check the airport’s website for flight status at https://www.clevelandairport.com/flight-information/flight-status.

road conditions

Roads in the area were covered with ice and snow. On Friday, Cleveland police urged drivers not to exit west on Interstate 90 into Cleveland. After winds knocked water off the lake, the highway froze and froze on the west side between Eddy Road and East 55th Street, the release said.

Ohio Department of Transportation spokesman Matt Bruning urged patience.

“If you expect to walk out the door today and drive at the speed limit, and what normally takes an hour of travel today takes an hour, you’re going to be really disappointed when you hit the road,” says Bruning. I was. .

“Because that’s never going to happen. It’s not possible. It’s impossible. It’s going to take longer. We need to slow down. , which will probably last for the next 24 hours.”

Windy cold temperatures across the region on Friday

Akron: -29 degrees as of 11:34 am

Akron Canton Regional Airport: -31 degrees as of 10:33 am

Avon: -32 degrees as of 10:56 am

Brooke Park: -28 degrees as of 10:37 am

Brunswick: -33 degrees as of 11:16 am

Chardon: -33 degrees, as of 11:25 am

Cleveland: -30 degrees as of 10:51 am

Copley: -31 degrees as of 11:10 am

Cuyahoga Falls: -26 degrees as of 9:30am

Elyria: -25 degrees, as of 10:47 a.m.

Lorraine: -34 degrees as of 11:15 am

Medina: -25 degrees as of 10:45am

Mentor: -29 degrees as of 11:15 am

Palma: -31 degrees as of 11:30 am

Reminder Bill: -26 degrees, as of 10:45 am

Roots Town: -28 degrees, as of 10:07 am

Shaker Heights: -30 degrees as of 10:40 am

Solon: -28 degrees as of 10:11 am

Height: -27 degrees as of 11:30 am

Twinsburg: -25 degrees as of 10:45 am

University Heights: -30 degrees as of 11:15 am

Wycliffe: -26 degrees as of 11:19 am

Willoughby: -27 degrees as of 11:15 am