CINCINNATI – Mayor Aftab Pureval advised motorists Wednesday that road conditions will likely be dangerous at times over the next few days due to forecasted winter weather. He asked them to exercise caution during the storm and to stay off the roads if possible.

What You Need To Know

  • City crews will operate in 12-hour shifts starting Wednesday at 7 p.m. and will continue to operate on 12-hour shifts through the duration of the winter weather event

  • The city plans to remain in close contact with Cincinnati Public Schools, the Metro bus system and other agencies to address needs

  • The area is expected to get a layer of ice, which could cause power outages in the area

Meteorologists are calling for an extended period of freezing rain, sleet and the possibility of multiple inches of snow in southwest Ohio from Wednesday night to early Friday morning. Bitter wind chills dropping well below zero are in the forecast by late Friday evening.

City crews will operate in 12-hour shifts starting Wednesday at 7 p.m. and will continue to operate on 12-hour shifts through the duration of the winter weather event, according to Jarrod Bolden, Cincinnati’s Traffic and Road Operations superintendent.

Bolden didn’t discuss specific human or truck resources available, saying the event will be fluid, but he noted that staffing and resources aren’t concerns. He said the biggest challenge is the lack of predictability of how the storm will play out.

A consistent downpour of rain and sleet are expected to eventually give way to snow and sub-freezing conditions. While it’s raining, crews cannot get out in front of the storm to effectively pretreat roadways, Bolden said. It will just “wash away” by the time the snow starts.

It's the goal of the city's Department of Public Services (DPS) to have streets passable 24 hours after the last snowfall. "With this winter event, our goal may be difficult to meet as streets will need multiple passes to clear," the department stated in a release.

“This is the worst combination we could ask for, with rain and ice and then accumulating snow coming on top of that,” he added. Bolden asked for residents to remain patient while crews work to treat the city's 3,112 lane miles spread across a 79-square-mile area.

DPS will first focus on making sure major thoroughfares and roadways are safe and passable before moving to residential streets. Primary routes include some hills, bridges, main thoroughfares and Cincinnati's downtown Central Business District. 

“This is going to take time,” Bolden added. “One single pass (of a snowplow) is not going to clear the road.” He went on to remind residents to play it safe and remain home if they don’t need to be on the road. And if they must travel, motorists are reminded to be aware of late-night and early morning re-freezing on treated streets in isolated areas due to cold temperatures.
 
Bolden said the city’s plan is to remain flexible, be proactive where they can and adapt as needed. Pureval said that approach will be citywide for all city staff. He plans to keep all city staff on standby, including police and fire personnel, to ensure the city can effectively respond to the storm.

The city plans to remain in close contact with Cincinnati Public Schools, the Metro bus system and other agencies to address needs. Due to the threat of ice, power outages are possible.
 
Residents may report urgent matters and customer service requests at www.5916000.com or using the Fix it Cincy! mobile app. Reporting a street doesn’t mean it will be treated any sooner, but the city will review the information to see if they potentially missed a route.

Residents can also check the City of Cincinnati’s CincyInsights Snow Plow Tracker, an interactive website that shows when a vehicle last treated a a particular street during a weather event.

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