Mild Ohio weather short-lived, storm coming

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CINCINNATI (AP) — An icy blast of wintry weather wasbearing down on Ohio even as much of the
state was unseasonably warmThursday.Temperatures in the 50s and 60s were expected to plunge by the
weekend, some by more than 40 degrees."Asa cold front moves through, that’s going to bring rain,
changing to awintry mix, changing to all snow tomorrow," said Mike Kurz, a NationalWeather Service
meteorologist in Wilmington, in southwest Ohio.Amix of freezing rain, sleet and snow was expected late
Thursday or earlyFriday for most of Ohio, with significant snowfall later Friday in thesouthwest and
central regions, in some cases during peak afternooncommutes.Kurz said a swath of Ohio in the Interstate
70 and 71corridors from Cincinnati through Columbus is likely to see the mostsnow. Most counties there
are expected to get 2 to 6 inches by Fridaynight, with much colder temperatures falling into the teens
in someplaces.Ohio’s AAA travel club expects a busy Friday, with calls for help from thousands of
stranded motorists likely."We’reready for the storm," spokeswoman Kimberly Schwind said.
"We’re callingin extra crews because we’re anticipating skyrocketing numbers ofcalls."She said
besides slick and icy conditions, sharptemperature drops can cause low tire pressure, leading to
spinouts andflat tires, and dead batteries are also a problem in sudden cold. AAArecommends that
motorists gas up in case they get stranded.Meanwhile, flood watches were issued across southeast Ohio,
with rain and sleet expected.Kurzsaid it’s difficult to make an overall prediction on what kind ofwinter
Ohioans can expect, since there are no strong global weatherfactors such as an El Nino that can have an
impact.He said there likely will be a lot of "short-term variability" in the weeks
ahead."You kind of wait and see what it brings," Kurz said.___Associated Press writer Mitch
Stacy in Columbus contributed to this report.___Contact Dan Sewell at http://www.twitter.com/dansewellCopyright
2013 The Associated Press. All rightsreserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten
orredistributed.

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