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Winter weather causes little damage in the Valley

Tribune Chronicle / R. Michael Semple A front loader is used to load a truck Thursday at the Trumbull County Engineer’s Office with a salt and ICM (ice control material) mix to be spread on area roads. Ice, rain and snow caused slippery conditions on Thursday.

Rain, ice, sleet and snow — all of it hit – northeast Ohio and much of the eastern half of the country Thursday.

From St. Louis to the South and into the Northeast, weather made driving tricky, iced over trees and closed schools in some parts of the country. It was relatively mild in Trumbull County most of the day, with schools remaining open and only minor accidents reported.

The National Weather Service in Cleveland is forecasting 40 percent chance of snow today with less than a half inch possible. There is a 30 percent chance of snow Saturday and Sunday also, with less than an inch accumulation possible for both days. Skies will be partly sunny Monday. All four days temperatures in the 30s.

A Trumbull County 911 spokesman said calls also came in from all over the county of trees falling over and knocking down power lines. Among them, wires were reported down in the area of Mines and Stillwagon roads in Howland.

Reports indicate more than 1,260 homes and businesses were without power Thursday evening in Trumbull County.

There were also accidents involving vehicles off the roads due to snow and ice but no major accidents, the spokesman said.

Early Thursday morning, the Liberty Fire Department was called out to a car that crashed into the bridge wall on Tibbets Wick Road over state Route 11.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol reported no major accidents late Thursday.

Officials elsewhere in Ohio reported at least one traffic death that was likely weather-related. Indiana State Police also reported a death early Thursday, which they said was caused by the 60-year-old woman driving too fast on a slick road.

PennDOT announced late Thursday that it temporarily reduced the speed limit on Interstate 80 in the northwest region. Penn- DOT urged motorists to avoid unnecessary travel, but those who must head out will see speeds reduced to 45 mph on Interstate 80 and Interstate 376 in Mercer and Venango counties. Additional speed reductions are in place on interstates throughout the state.

In New York City, the snowfall and wind gusts downed numerous tree branches. Police advised people to stay indoors and avoid the roads. Commuters also were advised to avoid the Port Authority Bus Terminal — which is also used by some to travel to New Jersey — due to overcrowding. The weather made it difficult for buses to reach the terminal, officials said. And a multi-vehicle accident on the George Washington Bridge added to the traffic nightmare.

There were scattered delays on the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit reported 30-minute delays system wide. Flight delays of an hour were reported at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports.

Forecasters said the snow should turn to mostly sleet and rain before changing to rain overnight.

As much as 8 inches of snow blanketed St. Louis, and forecasters predicted up to 6 inches in parts of southern New England as the storm made its way east. They also predicted northern New Jersey could see 4 to 8 inches of snow before the system exits the region today, while parts of suburban Philadelphia had 5 inches of snow Thursday afternoon.

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