An unusually large winter storm is expected to bring heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain to states from the Southern Rockies to New England from Friday, Jan. 23, to Monday, Jan. 26.
In preparation, the City of Athens issued a winter storm watch Wednesday. The alert warns of heavy snow accumulations stretching from Saturday morning to Monday morning. The notice informs locals that travel might be difficult and hazardous conditions on Monday could impact the morning commute.
The storm is expected to bring extremely cold conditions, with the wind chill projected to be as low as -4 degrees on Saturday. A snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches is possible Saturday night, 4 to 8 inches Sunday and 1 to 3 inches Sunday night.
In a post uploaded to Facebook, the Athens County Sheriff’s Office provided advice on how to best navigate the possible storm. Sheriff Rodney Smith recommended staying off the roads as conditions can become dangerous quickly.
“If you don’t have to be out, please stay off the roadways,” Smith said in the post. “Taking extra precautions, checking on friends and neighbors and limiting travel when conditions worsen helps keep our community and our emergency responders safe.”
Bailey Schaaf, a senior studying geography-meteorology, works as the lead forecaster at Scalia Laboratory, OU’s official weather forecasting service. Schaaf commented on when snow is expected to come to Athens.
“The bulk of the snow from Winter Storm Fern is expected to arrive in Athens around 7:00 p.m. Saturday evening,” Schaaf said in the post. “Snow will continue throughout the day Sunday before diminishing early Monday morning.”
The National Weather Service recommends having at least a few days of food, water and medications stocked up in preparation for the storm.
