Athens officials warn of major winter-storm watch; 6–20 inches possible, Monday commute at risk
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Summary
A winter-storm watch runs 7 a.m. Saturday through 7 a.m. Monday; forecast calls for 6–20 inches of snow with locally higher amounts and travel conditions that "could be very difficult to impossible." Residents were urged to prepare and sign up for city alerts.
A winter-storm watch covering Athens and surrounding areas is in effect from 7 a.m. Saturday through 7 a.m. Monday, with heavy snow expected and significant travel impacts for the Monday morning commute.
Unidentified Speaker 2, presenting the forecast during the weekly mayoral update, said officials expect "total snow accumulations between 6 to 20 inches" with "locally higher amounts" possible and warned, "Travel could be very difficult to impossible." The forecast lists affected areas that include portions of Northeast Kentucky, Southeast Ohio, Southwest Virginia and multiple regions of West Virginia.
Why it matters: the accumulation and timing — late weekend into Monday morning — raise the risk that roads will be hazardous for commuters and students returning to work and school. Unidentified Speaker 2 urged residents to prepare in advance, advising shoppers to "try to get to the stores before Friday" to buy staples such as bread, milk, eggs and toilet paper.
Forecast details released during the update showed near-term temperatures and conditions for the region: cloudy with snow and a high near 40 today, nighttime lows into the 20s this week, and colder highs over the weekend (for example, a Saturday high forecast near 17 with snow showers). Unidentified Speaker 2 also characterized this system as potentially the largest storm to hit parts of Southeast Ohio and Athens County since 1999, a claim made on-air during the update.
City officials advised residents to sign up for alert systems for the latest emergency updates. During the program, hosts reminded listeners to enroll in Nixle and to download the Athens, Ohio City Source app for real-time alerts and service reporting.
The mayor's office said residents should expect continued messaging from city channels and regional weather services as the system approaches; no changes to city operations were announced during the update.
