DARKE COUNTY — Snow arrived in measurable numbers in Darke County Tuesday for the first time this winter season.
An estimated 1 to 2 inches of snow fell on parts of the county in the late morning hours Tuesday before tapering off in the afternoon, initially causing some accumulation and slick road conditions. State, county and city road crews, however, reported encountering very few problems.
Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Public Information Officer Mandi Dillon said ODOT road crews stayed on top of snowy state roadways throughout the day.
“We’ve had no major issues,” she said. “We’ve had crews out on the roads all day today and they were pre-treating the roads yesterday. Thankfully, the snow was wet.”
Darke County Highway Department Superintendent Shane Coby said county road crews as well had been active to help keep the county’s 521 miles of county roads driveable for commuters. Coby estimated they had put down about 360 tons of salt and grit mix.
“The temps have been working in our favor,” he said. “That, and we’ve not seen as much snow in the north as we have in the south. The salt we’ve applied seems to be working well.”
City of Greenville Street Department Superintendent Ryan Delk said city traffic was “running smoothly.”
“We’ve put down about 60 tons of salt late this morning,” he said. “That’s about what it takes to do one round in the city. Hopefully there won’t be any refreezing.”
Though the county’s roads were not as bad as they could have been, dangers persist.
Emergency crews responded to the scene of a rollover accident shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday at the 6000 block of Children’s Home-Bradford Road, which remained snow-covered and icy in the afternoon. No details on the cause of the accident nor word on injuries was available.
Regardless of the amount of snowfall, drivers should nonetheless practice caution in all winter weather, including turning on their headlights, reducing their speed, and leaving plenty of room for situations which may call for sudden braking or turns.
Temperatures slowly rose throughout the day Tuesday, but were expected to drop into the single digits overnight, causing the possibility of refrozen roads.
Wednesday weather will see temperatures reach the mid-20s, with an expected low of 3 degrees Wednesday night. Thursday looks to be especially chilly, with a high of 11 degrees expected.
The area can look to a brief respite from the cold on Saturday, as temperatures are expected to reach the 40s, although the possibility of rainfall exists.
