Inches of blowing and drifting snow, combined with frigid temperatures, proved to be a treacherous
combination for Wood County drivers, continuing the county on a Level 2 Snow Emergency this morning.
Multiple traffic accidents have been reported across the county, including one involving a woman in labor
who became stuck in a snow drift.
Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn said he did not expect conditions to worsen throughout the day, and indicated
that with decreasing wind, there was the hope that the county could be downgraded to a Level 1, or
cancel a snow emergency all together.
"They’re spotty," said Gray Britten, superintendent of the Wood County Highway Garage this
morning of the roadways. "Early this morning, when the night crew was out, the wind was probably
blowing so hard, it was basically blowing everything off the roads, but the visibility was lousy. They
were having a hard time seeing. Now the wind has backed off a little, but now that means the drifts are
wanting to stick to the road."
He expected drifting issues to continue over the next two days or so, and said it appeared that the
southern portions of the county received more snow, though "that’s not making much of a
difference."
The sheriff’s office indicated they received numerous reports of slide-off incidents and similar issues
on the roads.
"We’ve had them north, we’ve had them south," said a dispatcher, though she said that since
areas of south of U.S. 6 and west of Ohio 25 had been cleared off, they hadn’t received calls in that
portion of the county for sometime.
"But other than that, the other three quadrants of the county, yes."
In Bowling Green, Director of Public Works Brian Craft said crews worked through the weekend on a
modified 12-hour shift. Instead of a full crew on each shift, six plow drivers and a mechanic were
working, giving more workers a longer break. "Our key word over the weekend was ‘maintain.’ We just
wanted to keep the snow pushed back. With one clipper on top of another we didn’t use much salt because
it just would have been buried."
Craft is hopeful a little sunshine today will help crews improve intersections. "The guys have been
doing an exceptional job. It’s tough working 12-hour shifts and then going home to try to get some sleep
and also do the stuff that needs to be done at home, like cleaning out your own driveway," Craft
said.
Bowling Green police indicated that, after a snow emergency was called for the city, 18 vehicles have
been towed and 36 tickets were issued.
Wasylyshyn said this morning that around 7 a.m. a medic run was called out in the area of Pemberville
Road, near Mermill Road, on the report of a woman in labor who drove into a snow drift.
An ambulance reportedly took her to Wood County Hospital, and she was apparently uninjured.
The Bowling Green Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol said they received reports of slideoffs as well as a
small number of minor injury crashes, but none of the incidents were blocking roadways, which are
"slippery and full of ice."
Perrysburg Police reported very few incidents thus far, while North Baltimore police also stated that
roads in the area were icy.