Windy weekend

Blowing and drifting snow caused travel problems throughout the weekend.
The wind is expected to continue to create issues tonight and Tuesday, this time in the form of extreme cold.
Temperatures are expected to reach minus 15 degrees overnight, and wind chills could be as low as minus 35. The forecast calls for a high of zero Tuesday.
Jay Schools have already been closed for Tuesday because of the cold. They were closed today because of poor road conditions.
“When the regular temperature gets down to below minus 10, it makes it difficult to run the buses,” said Jay Schools superintendent Tim Long this morning.
South Adams Schools were also closed today. Fort Recovery schools were in session on a two-hour delay.
Jay County was on a travel watch this morning, downgraded from the travel warning that was issued early Saturday morning and continued through the weekend. A watch means conditions are dangerous and travel is discouraged except for “essential” travel such as driving to and from work or for emergency situations.
All travel notices for Mercer County have been lifted.
The blowing snow left many roads, including 7th Street in Portland on Friday night, impassable over the weekend.
More than 25 slide offs or accidents were reported to Jay County Sheriff’s Office on Friday and Saturday, said chief deputy Rob Bicknell.
“The roads that aren’t blown shut seem to just be a sheet of ice,” he said this morning. “Be patient. Don’t think just because the road is opened, you can go 55 or 60. You still have to get stopped.”
Ralph Frazee, Jay County Emergency Management Agency Director, noted reports from the county highway department said roads seem to be the worst in the southern part of the county. He added that most problems with drifting are on the north-south roads.
Dan Watson, county engineer and Dunkirk mayor, said the county highway department is working to get some of the bigger drifts pushed off county roads.
“They’re not too bad. They’re not good, but they didn’t drift last night like I thought they would,” he said. “Some roads are just down to one lane.”
But the roads held up well overnight despite high winds with less drifting than was expected.
“Fortunately, the snow froze over and really saved us a bunch,” said Frazee.
In addition to today’s school closures, Jay County Courthouse was also closed and the meeting of the Jay County Commissioners was canceled. Jay Community Center was closed, and all activities at West Jay Community Center were canceled.
Today marks the 12th day Jay Schools have been closed this year, and Tuesday will be the 13th. That surpasses the 2010-11 school year, when the school corporation missed 12 days.
The projected final day of school for this year is now June 5.
“We still have a lot of ice,” said Long of today’s conditions. “We’re not going to get any melting to speak of in the next day. There are a lot of factors that go into it.
“For us, it’s just where we are. We’re going to err on the side of caution and safety.”
The cold that will keep buses off the roads Tuesday can also cause problems for the county highway department.
This marks the second time this month that temperatures have dipped well below zero. The county had lows of minus 14 degrees on Jan. 6 and 7.
“It’s just hard on the equipment more than anything,” Watson said. “We’ll have to see what tomorrow brings.”
As temperatures drop throughout tonight and overnight, Bicknell urged residents to be prepared if they do have to travel.
“If you have to travel, have a cell phone, have some sort of blanket, have something that can sustain you until we can get help to you,” he said.[[In-content Ad]]