Bitter cold, snow arrive; shoveler dies

Ryan Scanlan of Northwood cruises down a hill in Pearson Metropark on his brother s new snowboard.

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Ryan Scanlan of Northwood cruises down a hill in Pearson Metropark on his brother s new snowboard.

Winter took a holiday for the holidays, but now it s here in full force.

An arctic blast from northwest Canada was expected to settle in over northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan overnight, bringing the region its first deep freeze of the season. Forecasters expect highs in the mid-teens today and in the 20s tomorrow through Friday.

“It s normal for this time of year to get this kind of outbreak, but it s definitely going to feel colder because for the last two weeks, it s been above normal,” said John Dlugoenski, a meteorologist with Accu-Weather, Inc., in State College, Pa. The cold snap follows the new year s first winter storm, which dumped an official 3.5 inches of snow on Toledo Express Airport.

A county worker clears snow and ice from the sidewalk over the bridge on Clinton Street in Defiance.

One snow-shoveling death was reported in South Toledo. Gloria Golas, 67, a suspected heart-attack victim, was found dead in her Leith Drive driveway yesterday morning.

While flurries may persist today, and an isolated inch or two of snow is possible from a weak storm Thursday, the region is unlikely to receive any more significant snow before the weekend, Mr. Dlugoenski said.

Temperatures may moderate with another weak storm Sunday or Monday, he said. But after that, the long-range outlook shows a return to colder weather.

“Temperatures are going to struggle to get above freezing for the next two weeks,” he said.