Thousands of customers without power as winter storm barrels through Cincinnati area

THE WAY WITH BREAKING NEWS. KELLY: BLIZZARD WARNINGS IN SEVERAL PARTS OF GREATER CINCINNATI AMID A RECORD TEMPERATURE DROP OVERNIGHT. IT WAS WILD. WE KNEW IT WAS A POSSIBILITY, AND IT HAPPENED. THANKS FOR JOINING US. I’M KELLY RIPPIN. STEVEN: AND I’M STEVEN ALBRITTON. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE PROBLEMS THE ICE AND SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS ARE CAUSING. KELLY: WE WANT TO CHECK IN WITH ALLISON ROGERS. THE STORM SYSTEM HAS MOVED ON BUT THERE IS STILL A LOT TO TALK ABOUT. ALLISON: WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE DANGEROUS COLD. ON RADAR WE’RE NOT SEEING ANYTHING AT ALL IN TERMS OF ADDITIONAL SNOW, BUT THERE IS THE POTENTIAL WE HAVE BLOWING SNOW, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING OUR SNOW THAT FELL LATE IN THE NIGHT AND EARLY IN THE MORNING. YOU MIGHT SEE STRONGER WIND GUSTS PICKING UP FLURRIES FROM THE GROUND AND TOSSING THEM AROUND. OVER THE LAST SEVERAL HOURS NOT MUCH HAS FALLEN ACROSS GREATER CINCINNATI EXCEPT FOR THE THERMOMETER. WE ARE DOWN TO SIX DEGREES BELOW ZERO IN CINCINNATI. IF YOU’RE IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY -- THE ACTUAL AIR TEMPERATURE IS SITTING AT SEVEN DEGREES BELOW ZERO. EVERYBODY IS BELOW ZERO. IT IS BELOW ZERO BY SIX DEGREES IN BROOKVILLE, NEGATIVE FIVE INBOUND OREO. FOUR BELOW IN HILLSBORO. ANYWHERE YOU ARE IT IS BRUTALLY COLD. THIS IS THE KIND OF COLD THAT IMMEDIATELY TAKES YOUR BREATH AWAY. IF YOU HAVE EXPOSED SKIN, YOU TALKING ABOUT FROSTBITE IN A MATTER OF 10 OR 15 MINUTES. THIS IS NOT THE KIND OF COLD YOU WANT TO SPEND ANY EXCESS AMOUNT OF TIME OUTSIDE IN. THE WINDCHILL IS IN THE NEGATIVES, DOWN TO 30 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. CURRENT GUSTS UP TO 40 MILES PER HOUR THROUGHOUT PARTS OF SOUTHEAST INDIANA. BROOKVILLE IS AT 40 MILES PER HOUR. CINCINNATIAN 32. WINDS GUSTING AROUND 31. IN FALMOUTH AROUND 36. IN WARSAW THE WIND IS STILL SCREAMING OUTSIDE. SUSTAINED WINDS ARE SITTING 20 TO 25 MILES PER HOUR. THAT PERSISTENT WIND WILL BE AROUND FOR THE REST OF TODAY, GIVING US THE WINDCHILL CLOSER TO 30 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. IT FEELS MORE LIKE 29 BELOW IN CINCINNATI, MORE LIKE 30 BELOW IN SPRINGBORO. FOR SALES INDIANA FEELING LIKE 21 BELOW ZERO. SHOWING YOU HOW LITTLE THAT WILL CHANGE. HERE WE ARE BY 3:00 THIS AFTERNOON. IT MIGHT FEEL LIKE 19 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. TEMPERATURES ARE NOT GOING TO WARM UP TODAY. I FEEL WRONG FOR SAYING THE WARM -- THE WORD WARM BECAUSE WE ARE SUBZERO ALL DAY LONG. I WILL SHOW YOU WHERE WE ARE STATING FOR THE HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE REST OF TODAY AND WHERE WE WILL SEE THAT THERMOMETER CARE FOR THE WEEKEND AND WHEN WE WILL START TO GET OUT OF THE DEEP-FREEZE. KELLY AND STEPHEN? STEVEN: HIGHER THAN THE LOW. THAT IS ABOUT IT. MANY LOCAL COUNTIES ARE UNDER SNOW EMERGENCIES. YOU CAN FIND THE LIST SCROLLING ON YOUR SCREEN AND ON WLWT.COM. KELLY: WE’VE BEEN LEADING THE WAY ON MANY UNCLEARED ROADS, WITH PLENTY OF SLICK SPOTS. WLWT NEWS 5’S LACEY ROBERTS IS -- WAS OUT FOR US THIS MORNING. SHE CAN GIVE US GOOD INFORMATION ON WHERE TO STAY AWAY FROM. WHERE ARE YOU NOW AND HOW ARE THINGS LOOKING? LACEY: RIGHT NOW WE ARE ON EIGHT STREET AND WE ARE HEADING TOWARDS WESTWOOD. YOU CAN SEE THIS STREET IS DEFINITELY COVERED. THAT MEANS NO ONE HAS BEEN OUT HERE THIS MORNING, NOT SEEING ANY CARS DRIVING UP AND DOWN. A FEW PEOPLE OUT WALKING BUT YOU CAN TELL THIS IS A ROAD LESS TRAVELED FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD. I KNOW I’VE SEEN A COUPLE OF PEOPLE ON TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM SING THE WEST SIDE OF TOWN IS COVERED IN SNOW AND NO ONE CAN GET ANYWHERE. WE ARE HEADED THAT WAY SO WE CAN SHOW YOU WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. IF ANYONE IS HEADED OUT, WE WILL SHOW YOU WHAT THE ROADS ARE LOOKING LIKE AND COME BACK TO ME IN JUST A SECOND. BACK TO YOU FOR NOW. KELLY: WE APPRECIATE IT. THE COLD IS DANGEROUS EVEN IF YOU DO NOT HIT THE ROADS. STEVEN: WLWT NEWS 5’S BRIAN HAMRICK IS LIVE WITH CONDITIONS NEAR THE RIVER. PRETTY STUNNING SCENE THERE. BRIAN: IT IS THE SAME THING. IT IS AN AWFUL LOT OF SNOW, A LOT OF COLD WEATHER WE ARE DEALING WITH. HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL HAVE IF YOU DEAL WITH THE ROADS. THE PLOWS HAVE TAKEN THE SNOW OFF THE TOP BUT NO EFFECTIVENESS FROM ANY OF THE SALT. A LITTLE BIT OF/WHEN THEY GET THE VEHICLES RUNNING OVER. VERY DIFFICULT TO GET THAT TO WORK IN THESE TEMPERATURES. IT IS HARD TO SEE THE WIND IS BLOWING. IT JUST CUTS RIGHT THROUGH EVERYTHING. IF YOU TAKE A LOOK, IT IS A LITTLE EASIER. EVERYTHING IS A SNOWDRIFT. ANYWHERE THERE IS A PILE OF SNOW IT WILL DRIFT. THE OHIO RIVER LOOKS LIKE A HOT TOP, THE DIFFERENCE OF TEMPERATURE BETWEEN THE FREEZING COLD OHIO RIVER AND THE AIR, THAT IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THAT IS STEAM. THAT ALSO GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF HOW HARD THE WIND IS BLOWING. YOU CAN SEE IT IS PUSHING THE STEAM UPSTREAM. IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE RIVER, THE SURFACE, YOU CAN SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THAT. THE WIND IS PUSHING THE WATER UPSTREAM. THE COURAGE IS STILL GOING DOWNSTREAM BUT THE TOP SURFACE IS BEING POKED AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE OHIO IS RUNNING BACKWARDS. THAT GIVES YOU IDEA OF HOW WINDY IT IS. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT YOU WEAR. I AM WEARING THREE OR FOUR LAYERS. I LOST COUNT A LITTLE WHILE AGO AND I DO NOT WANT TO TAKE ANYTHING OFF TO CHECK COMPANY JACKETS I HAVE ON. WHEN YOU’RE OUT IN THIS KIND OF WEATHER, IT CUTS RIGHT THROUGH IN A MATTER OF MINUTES. WE HAVE ONLY BEEN OUT OF THE CAR FOR TWO MINUTES AND IT IS ALREADY CUTTING RIGHT THROUGH THE NYLON, DOES NOT MATTER WHAT YOU WEAR. THIS IS A GOOD SPOT TO SEE. I DON’T KNOW YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THE RIVERBOATS. THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE GOING ANYWHERE TODAY. IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING YOU WOULD SEE OUT OF A DREAM, THE WAY THIS IS. A GREAT TIME TO GET PICTURES BUT I DO NOT KNOW ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO GET OUTSIDE TO DO IT. ANYWAY IT IS A VERY COLD DAY. YOU DON’T WANT TO BE OUT HERE FOR ANYMORE THAN A COUPLE OF MINUTES. REPORTING LIVE, BRI

Thousands of customers without power as winter storm barrels through Cincinnati area

Updated: 12:57 PM EST Dec 23, 2022

Thousands of customers are without power as a major winter storm moves through Greater Cincinnati.Currently, more than 5,000 customers are without power. See latest outages hereDuke Energy says widespread power outages are expected Friday as a strong arctic front continues to make its way across the Midwest, bringing high sustained winds and frequent gusts exceeding 50 mph in some areas. Crews have begun outage restoration where conditions allow.The major winter storm is here, and it's brought a mess! Roads are covered in snow, visibility went down, and wind chills are in the negatives. As of 13:30AM, we are in a three-way tie for greatest six hour temperature drop. SEE LATEST CLOSINGS HERE // SEE WEATHER ALERTS HEREThere's likely another burst of heavy snow, which likely rounds out our totals near 4". This happens overnight. Temperatures sink to -4 degrees with wind chills near -30 degrees by 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.

CINCINNATI —

Thousands of customers are without power as a major winter storm moves through Greater Cincinnati.

Currently, more than 5,000 customers are without power.

See latest outages here

Duke Energy says widespread power outages are expected Friday as a strong arctic front continues to make its way across the Midwest, bringing high sustained winds and frequent gusts exceeding 50 mph in some areas.

Crews have begun outage restoration where conditions allow.

The major winter storm is here, and it's brought a mess! Roads are covered in snow, visibility went down, and wind chills are in the negatives. As of 13:30AM, we are in a three-way tie for greatest six hour temperature drop.

SEE LATEST CLOSINGS HERE // SEE WEATHER ALERTS HERE

There's likely another burst of heavy snow, which likely rounds out our totals near 4". This happens overnight. Temperatures sink to -4 degrees with wind chills near -30 degrees by 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.