Good evening tonight. Our weather impact alert continues. This is essentially the tale of two sides of town: little to no snow on the west side, while out east, Lake effect snow is still falling in Lake, Geauga, and Ashtabula counties. Lake and Trumbull counties are under a state of emergency tonight after some areas, including Paynesville, were slammed with nearly five feet of snow. Take a live look here at the conditions there. There are already several school closings scheduled for tomorrow. You can find those at the bottom of your screen. Kids rejoice! But is this the beginning, or is the end in sight?
Betsy has been standing by all afternoon with the answer to that. Betsy?
Hi! Well, we are starting to see things winding down, which is great news, Russ and Christie. The Lake Snow Advisory continues for now in Cuyahoga County. Meanwhile, Lake, Geauga, and Ashtabula counties remain under the Lake Snow Warning. Advisory means inconveniences; warning means we’ve got problems. That’s where we still have a significant snow band settling south. This is an interesting shift because, throughout the day, we’ve had multiple northwest-to-southeast bands. Now, we see one band sinking southward, which might bring eastern Cuyahoga County back into heavy snow over the next few hours.
We’ve seen quite a bit of snow in Mentor, Thompson, and Chardon, but Ashtabula and Conneaut are getting a break. The darker blues indicate where the heavier snow persists, coming in waves of varying intensity. These heavy snow showers snarl traffic, making conditions difficult, especially along I-90 in Lake County, as well as state routes and local streets. Just before the top of the hour, I snapped this picture: I-90 at State Route 528 in Madison, blanketed in fresh snow on top of what’s already fallen.
Cleanup Efforts and Local Impact
Farther west, only a few flurries remain, while the main snow band continues to move southward. Eastern suburbs of Greater Cuyahoga County and northern Geauga County might see snow into late evening before it tapers off by tomorrow morning. The good news? We’re on the backside of this storm, but it will take time to fully dissipate. The weather impact alerts remain in effect, so extra travel time is needed, especially in Lake, Geauga, Ashtabula, or eastern Cuyahoga counties.
As for cleanup from this historic weekend, Annabelle Childers and Lindsey Buckingham are reporting live in Lake County. Annabelle, how are things out there?
Annabelle: The snow is relentless, making it tough for residents to keep up. Many clear their driveways only to watch them fill back up. Daniel Chandler, who’s lived here for 35 years, said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much snow at one time.” He’s cleared his driveway five times in the last few days, battling a continuous wall of snow. The pine trees along the road have broken under the weight of the heavy snow. Meanwhile, neighbors struggle to get out, like Michael, whose car remains stuck despite shoveling.
Lake County Sheriff Frank Leon Bruno said the amount of snow has overwhelmed crews and residents. “It’s not like they weren’t prepared; it’s just too much snow to move,” he explained. Deputies are primarily responding to collisions, as visibility remains an issue.
Over in Madison, Lindsey Buckingham reports that local businesses and schools are also feeling the impact. At Debonne Vineyards, owner Tony Deek shared that snow benefits the vineyard but hurts retail sales. Meanwhile, Lakeside High School faces a significant issue: a portion of the roof collapsed under the snow’s weight, closing the school for at least two days. Superintendent Lisa Newsom described the collapse as unprecedented.
For up-to-the-minute updates on closures and weather warnings, visit WKYC.com or the WKYC app. Stay safe!