CLEVELAND — It's the reality of living in Northeast Ohio. Wintry weather has officially made its return...
Snow showers are expected in the snowbelt region Thursday with lingering showers into Friday. It led to a Winter Weather Advisory for Lake and Geauga counties as well as a Lake Effect Snow Warning for Ashtabula County. Both of those alerts have been canceled.
- FORECAST: See the extended weather outlook for Northeast Ohio
- iALERT: Closings and delays
Some parts of Ashtabula County saw more than 17 inches of snow during the lake effect activity.
We're following the storm minute-by-minute with time-stamped updates below. Be sure to refresh this page frequently as it will be updated often as the storm evolves. You'll find the most-recent information at the top of the list.
THURSDAY
11:30 p.m. We wrap up Thursday with a look at the conditions in Ashtabula County from Emma Henderson, plus Matt Wintz's forecast.
6:30 p.m. 3News Chief Meteorologist Betsy Kling has the latest on how much more snow we can expect.
6:00 p.m. We have team coverage of the winter storm in Ashtabula County. Isabel Lawrence and Emma Henderson are both there with the latest conditions.
5:00 p.m. 3News Senior Meteorologist Matt Wintz has an update on the snowfall totals so far and what we can expect to see later tonight and into Friday.
4:00 p.m. 3News' Isabel Lawrence is reporting from Ashtabula and Lake counties with the snow continuing to fall.
“We’ve had crews out since late last night, and the snow really started to pick up really past midnight this morning here," said ODOT's Ray Marsch. "There are certain spots in Ashtabula County that have already seen over 18 inches of snow in certain spots, so that snow came down fast and heavy. We currently have 24 crews out in Ashtabula County treating the roadways, and like I said, they started late last night and continued throughout all of today here.”
So far today, troopers in Northeast Ohio have handled 47 crashes and assisted an additional 123 motorists from midnight to 2 p.m..
2:12 p.m. The Ohio Department of Transportation announced that I-90 West and I-90 East are now open after being closed for a crash.
Jack Burke, a truck driver, spent four hours sitting on I-90 due to the closure and crash. He has been driving trucks for 40 years.
“This is not a time or a day to try to make up time to make time. It’ll come back to haunt you," he told 3News' Isabel Lawrence. "Eventually it’ll get you, so you just gotta slow down. A lot. And give yourself a lot more space to stop”
Burke had to detour through Conneaut in Ohio. “Coming through Conneaut, the ice was probably 3 inches thick. And it was like a washboard, driving over a washboard. It just beats you to death for miles. The average speed was 5, 5 miles an hour."
12:45 p.m. The Ashtabula County Sheriff has downgraded the level 3 snow emergency to a level 1, but is still urging drivers to stay off area roadways until further notice.
11:43 a.m. ODOT update: There are nearly 300 crews out on the road.
11:06 a.m. The National Weather Service in Cleveland says the highest reported snow total so far is 17.2" near Monroe Center in Ashtabula County:
10:35 a.m. In case you missed this moment earlier in the morning...
10:28 a.m. Where are the snowflakes flying right now? Here's an updated look at the radar in Northeast Ohio.
10:08 a.m. Here's an updated look at the traffic situation where both directions of I-90 are closed due to a crash between state Route 11 and Route 7.
9:58 a.m. While portions of the primary snowbelt here in Northeast Ohio are dealing with lake effect snow, it's nothing in comparison to what's expected in Buffalo, New York -- which is where the Browns are scheduled to play on Sunday. But now there's talk that the game might be moved to a different location. CLICK HERE for full details.
9:12 a.m. ODOT says all lanes of I-90 are closed in both directions between state Route 11 and 7 due to a crash in Ashtabula County.
8:48 a.m. ODOT says I-90 West is closed near state Route 7 due to a crash in Ashtabula County.
8:23 a.m. 3News viewers from across Northeast Ohio have submitted pictures of the snow they woke up with.
Heavy snow hits Northeast Ohio
8:15 a.m Here is a look at the road conditions throughout various Northeast Ohio counties.
8:11 a.m. Here's a live look at snowy road conditions along I-90 near Route 11 in Ashtabula County:
7:57 a.m. An update from 3News' Austin Love in Ashtabula County:
7:45 a.m. The level 3 snow emergency has been modified in Ashtabula County. It's now only in effect within areas north of I-90.
7:30 a.m. Did you get any snow? Share your pics with us! You can either post them in the comments section in the Facebook post below, or text them to 216-344-3300 (be sure to include your name and location).
6:50 a.m. An updated look at snow totals so far...
6:33 a.m. Ashtabula County Sheriff William Niemi declared a level 3 snow emergency for Ashtabula County. During a level 3 snow emergency, roadways are closed to non-emergency travel
6:30 a.m. Our extended team coverage on the snowy conditions continues...
6:28 a.m. ODOT crews starting to see a break in the lake effect snow in Ashtabula County
6:05 a.m. We have some school closings coming in. Check the full iAlert list HERE.
6:01 a.m. Here's extended coverage of the conditions impacted by lake effect snow in the primary snowbelt.
6 a.m. ODOT says there are more than 70 plows working throughout District 12.
5:45 a.m. 3News' Hollie Strano takes an extended look at the weather forecast with the hour-by-hour details you need to know
ODOT says the lake effect snow is hitting Ashtabula County hard:
5:30 a.m. Here is a live look at snowy road conditions along I-90 at Route 11 in Ashtabula County:
5:06 a.m. Yep... This is so Austin Love, but it gave us a good laugh:
5 a.m. Watch our team coverage to see the impact of this morning's lake effect snow:
4:43 a.m. ODOT says 400 crews are out working across the state with whiteout conditions along I-90 in Ashtabula County.
2:14 a.m. The National Weather Service in Cleveland is monitoring a heavy bank of lake effect snow "for the next few hours."
WEDNESDAY
11:10 p.m. Here is the latest look at the weather conditions in Northeast Ohio from our Matt Wintz, plus what you can expect during your morning commute.
Also, as we wait for the snow to move inland, Neil Fischer has more on how crews are preparing to keep the roads clear.
9:12 p.m. 3News' Neil Fischer took a look at conditions in the Cleveland area.
8:18 p.m. 3News Senior Meteorologist Matt Wintz is here with an extended look at the winter storm on Facebook Live:
Wednesday 8 p.m.
Below is some of our reporting as we get ready for the storm:
Lydia Esparra took a look at how ODOT is preparing for the wintry conditions, despite a shortage of drivers. Their crews are prepared for the snowfall with 277,000 tons of salt on hand with the ability to make their own salt brine to help with the storm.
Just as a reminder, ODOT says they are responsible for treating state and US routes outside of municipalities as well as all interstates, except for the Ohio Turnpike.
Also, 3News Chief Meteorologist Betsy Kling took a look at what we can expect this evening and into the overnight hours:
And here's the latest from the National Weather Service about travel conditions this evening. Hazardous travel is expected east of Cleveland along the I-90 corridor from this evening into early Thursday.
More weather features: