WHITE SPRING

Nearly 8 inches of snow covers Toledo

Sheriff's offices declare emergencies; hundreds without power

A heavy wet snow overlays tree buds throughout the region today. the national Weather Service recorded 7.8 inches at Toledo Express Airport.

THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER
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Residents of Birchall Road south of Royalton Road in Toledo's Library Village neighborhood woke up to coating of snow that fell overnight.

Snowmobiling is not an activity one usually associates with April.

But the nearly 8 inches that covered parts of northwest Ohio today was good news for Jason Carte of Swanton.

Mr. Carte took advantage of April’s wintery gift to use his snow machine for only the second time this year.

“You don’t get this too much in April,” Mr. Carte said before roaring into a field along Wilkins Road in Swanton Township.

IN PICTURES: April snow obliterates spring

To have this much snow fall this late in the year is not an everyday occurrence.

“It is certainly rare to see that much of a snowfall from a storm in April,” Karen Clark, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Cleveland said.

The 7.8 inches were recorded at Toledo Express Airport, the official weather reporting site, according to the weather service. The April snow accumulation is second only to 12 inches that fell in Toledo in 1957. The most snow in any month previously this winter was 5.9 inches in January.

Youngsters took advantage of the April snow to go sledding at Pearson Park in Oregon.

The snow was blamed on a strengthening low-pressure system out of Canada that moved across the Great Lakes region.

The blanket of heavy, wet snow brought down power lines and made driving hazardous on area roads. Law enforcement agencies throughout the area reported numerous accidents, many involving vehicles sliding off the road or into each other. No serious injuries were reported.

Toledo Edison’s website reported scattered outages thorughout the area. As of 5:45 p.m. today, the largest outage is northeast of Waterville, affecting some 500 to 1,500 customers because of a downed tree. The utility hopes to have electricity restored to most customers by 6 p.m. Sunday.

Only one brave motorist ventured out of the parking lot in Toledo's Old West End, where snow blankets tree branches just before sunrise today.

The Lucas, Wood, and Ottawa county sheriff’s offices today declared a Level 1 snow emergency, warning that roads were hazardous because of drifting snow and ice accumulation. The Level 1 declaration, the lowest of three levels, warns drivers to proceed with caution.

However, the Ohio Turnpike and other major area roads were wet yet easily passable. By the late afternoon, advisories were cancelled. 

The worst of the bad weather may be over. There are no watches or warnings currently in Northwest Ohio or Southeast Michigan. Sunday’s forecast calls for a high of 44 degrees, and any new sno accumulation would be about a half-inch. Temperatures are expected to rise each day during the week, topping out in the low 60’s by next Saturday. 

Lucas County sheriff’s dispatchers reported numerous accidents, although none resulted in serious injuries. 

Vincent Kibler, 8, of Samaria, Mich., struggles to push a snow ball in preparation for a big snowman at Ottawa Park in Toledo.

The weather forced several cancellations and postponements. Late Friday, the Color Run, a 5K race at the University of Toledo, was nixed and will be rescheduled, organizers said.

The Rockets’ spring football game was cancelled and will not be made up.

The Toledo Fair Housing Center’s planned celebration of diversity and equality was postponed.

The Mud Hens’ game at Fifth Third Field was also postponed some eight hours before the scheduled first pitch, and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on May 9. Toledo and Louisville still have a doubleheader scheduled to start at 1:35 p.m. Sunday.

The snowfall forecast prompted Toledo city crews to reinstall salt spreaders on trucks Friday, City Spokesman Janet Schroeder said in a statement. The Ohio Department of Transportation had its crews out overnight as well.