Cincinnati officially hits blizzard status, first time since 1978

FACT THAT THE RADAR APPEARS CLEAR. RANDI: THE SNOW IS GONE, BUT STILL BLOWING. IT IS A LIGHT SNOW AND WITH 35 MILE PER HOUR WINDS AND GUSTS THAT ARE HIGHER, IT PICKS UP THAT SNOW AND REDISTRIBUTES IT ALL OVER THE PLACE. AS KATIE WAS COMING IN, SHE SAID THERE WAS BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW ON THE HIGHWAY, SO KEEP THAT IN MIND. WE OFFICIALLY GOT 4.2 INCHES OF SNOW AT THE AIRPORT. THE MOST I HAVE SEEN SO FAR IS IN JUNIE, KENTUCKY WITH FIVE INCHES. THINGS ARE’S DECIDEDLY QUIET SINCE 2:00 AND 3:00 A.M. THE BACK EDGE OF THOSE SNOW SHOWERS NOW INTO COLUMBUS, AND OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF HOURS, WE HAD A DECENT BURST TO FINISH THE 2:00 HOUR AND THE SNOW WRAPPING UP. YOU WILL NOTICE THE IMPACTS RIGHT NOW MOVING TO NORTHEAST OHIO IS THAT ARCTIC FRONT MOVES IN. WHAT WE WANT TO TRACK OUR THE COLD TEMPERATURES THE BRUTAL WIND CHILLS THAT WILL LINGER THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY IN THREE OR SATURDAY AND SLOWLY -- IN THROUGH YOUR SATURDAY AND SLOWLY LETTING UP AS CHRISTMAS COMES. YOU CAN SEE SUBZERO FOR MUCH OF GREATER CINCINNATI, STILL HOLDING ONTO ZERO IN HILLSBORO AND FOUR RIGHT NOW IN PEEBLES, BUT TAKE A LOOK TOWARDS RIVER SALES. I ANTICIPATE THIS COLD AIR CONTINUING TO FILTER THROUGH THE 275 LOOP AND MOST OF US HAVING TEMPERATURES BELOW ZERO AS WE HIT BREAKFAST TIME THIS MORNING. I WOULD CALL IT THE MORNING RUSH BUT HOPEFULLY NOT MANY PEOPLE ARE HEADING OUT ON THE ROADS THIS MORNING. CHECK OUT THE CURRENT WIND GUSTS ALL ACROSS GREATER CINCINNATI. 37 DEGREE WINS IN MIDDLETOWN, 43 MILE-PER-HOUR WIND GUSTS OVER IN DELHI. WHEN YOU DO THE MATH WITH THOSE SUB ZERO TEMPERATURES, SUSTAINED WINDS AT 20 MILES PER HOUR, YOUR WIND CHILL CURRENTLY FEELS LIKE 25 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. ALL ACROSS GREATER CINCINNATI, WE ARE FEELING THIS CHILL AND THIS DOES NOT CHANGE MUCH AS WE GO THROUGH THE DAY. OUR WIND CHILLS WILL REMAIN 25 TO 30 DEGREES BELOW ZERO FOR A GOOD CHUNK OF THE DAY. LET’S TAKE A LOOK. WE DID HIT BLIZZARD STATUS. YOU CANNOT CALL ANY OLD STORM A BLIZZARD. THERE NEEDS TO BE THREE CONSECUTIVE HOURS OF OBSERVATIONS OF SNOW OR BLOWING SNOW, 35 MILE-PER-HOUR WINDS EITHER STEADY OR VERY FREQUENT GUSTS, AND VISIBILITY A QUARTER OF A MILE OR LESS, AND WE DID THAT AS WELL. TECHNICALLY JUST BARELY, BUT WE HIT BLIZZARD STATUS OVERNIGHT IN CINCINNATI. RIGHT NOW, THIS IS A GREAT VIEW OF DOWNTOWN. AT TIMES THROUGH THE CITY CAM, WE COULDN’T SEE ACROSS THE STREET. RIGHT NOW OUR VISIBILITY IS UP TO ONE MILE AT THE AIRPORT. THEY ARE REPORTING FOG AND A TEMPERATURE OF TWO DEGREES BELOW ZERO WITH A FEELS LIKE TEMPERATURE OF 28 BELOW ZERO COURTESY OF THAT NEARLY 30 MILE-PER-HOUR STEADY WIND. AS WE ROLL THROUGH THE WINDY CONDITIONS THAT WILL PERSIST THROUGHOUT THE DAY, YOUR ACTUAL TEMPERATURES STAY BELOW ZERO THROUGHOUT THE MORNING. I THE AFTERNOON, WE MAKE IT UP TO TWO DEGREES FOR A HIGH, BUT AT BEST TODAY, IT WILL FEEL LIKE 20 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. IT WILL BE A COLD ONE AND THE SNOW HAS MOVED OFF WITH THE LINGERING IMPACTS OF THE SNOW THAT WILL LINGER THROUGHOUT THE DAY. DO NOT BE SURPRISED IF A SNOW COME THROUGH YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD BUT WE HAVE 45 MILE-PER-HOUR WINDS SO THAT LIGHT POWDER OF SNOW GOES OVER THE ROAD AGAIN. FUTURECAST WILL SHOW THE CLOUDS STAYING IN PLACE, STRONG WINDS, AND AN OCCASIONAL FLURRY. BE AWARE IF YOU GET A BURST OF SNOW, REDUCED VISIBILITY IS A POSSIBILITY. I KEPT TODAY’S WEATHER WARNING STATUS AS YOU TRY TO EVENTS OR -- TRY TO VENTURE ON THE ROADS. TODAY TEMPERATURES ARE FEELING ABOUT 20 TO 30 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. TONIGHT, DIPPING AGAIN TO TO BELIEVE -- TWO DEGREES BELOW ZERO. TODAY’S HIGH IS TWO. STRONG WINDS, DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS. TOMORROW, FLURRIES WILL MAKE IT UP TO 10 DEGREES IN THE AFTERNOON, AND CHRISTMAS MORNING WAKING UP TO A TEMPERATURE NEAR THREE. WE STILL HAVE SUBZERO WIND CHILLS ON SATURDAY MORNING AND IT GETS BETTER ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON. AS OF RIGHT NOW, LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST AS WE GET INTO MONDAY. ACCUMULATION WOULD BE LIKELY BECAUSE IT IS STILL COLD, SO I THINK IT FALLS ON MONDAY AND IT STICKS, BUT A LIGHTER SNO

Historic winter storm: Cincinnati officially hits blizzard status, first time since 1978

Updated: 8:07 AM EST Dec 23, 2022

A major winter storm broke records in Cincinnati with the area officially hitting blizzard status for a few hours overnight Friday. SEE LATEST CLOSINGS HERE // SEE WEATHER ALERTS HEREHistory was made during this storm. The Greater Cincinnati area officially hit blizzard status overnight Friday with three consecutive hours of snow or blowing snow, wind gusts over 35 mph, with 1/4 mile visibility.We also broke the record for the greatest six-hour temperature drop with temperatures dropping from 41 degrees to 2 degrees. A Winter Storm Warning has been extended for the Greater Cincinnati area.Another burst of heavy snow early Friday likely rounds out our totals near 4 inches. Temperatures sink to -4 degrees with wind chills near -30 degrees by Friday morning.Snow ends areawide before sunrise Friday morning. Temperatures will be around 0 Friday afternoon. Frostbite can happen in less than 30 minutes. Wind chills will stay 15-20 below zero all day!Wind chills will be around -25 to -10 on Christmas Eve. A few flurries remain possible Friday and Saturday. Wind chills will stay below zero through Christmas afternoon.A heads up to next week: There's potential for more snow the day after Christmas.

A major winter storm broke records in Cincinnati with the area officially hitting blizzard status for a few hours overnight Friday.

SEE LATEST CLOSINGS HERE // SEE WEATHER ALERTS HERE

History was made during this storm. The Greater Cincinnati area officially hit blizzard status overnight Friday with three consecutive hours of snow or blowing snow, wind gusts over 35 mph, with 1/4 mile visibility.

We also broke the record for the greatest six-hour temperature drop with temperatures dropping from 41 degrees to 2 degrees.

A Winter Storm Warning has been extended for the Greater Cincinnati area.

Another burst of heavy snow early Friday likely rounds out our totals near 4 inches. Temperatures sink to -4 degrees with wind chills near -30 degrees by Friday morning.

Snow ends areawide before sunrise Friday morning. Temperatures will be around 0 Friday afternoon. Frostbite can happen in less than 30 minutes. Wind chills will stay 15-20 below zero all day!

Wind chills will be around -25 to -10 on Christmas Eve. A few flurries remain possible Friday and Saturday. Wind chills will stay below zero through Christmas afternoon.

A heads up to next week: There's potential for more snow the day after Christmas.