UPDATE: 

Motorists have until 10 p.m. to remove cars from the following streets that need to be clear during a snow emergency: Church, Clay, Clough, Court, Enterprise, Fourth, Grove, Maple, Prospect, Summit and Wooster streets; Mercer and Wintergarden roads; Conneaut, East Merry and Lehman avenues; and Scott Hamilton.

The city is declaring a snow emergency earlier than usual due to the large amount of snowfall projected to hit the area by 10 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Usually a snow emergency is declared when snow reaches a depth of 2 inches, according to city snow removal guidelines.

Another 1 to 3 inches is expected to fall before 4 p.m. Wednesday, according to NWS forecasts.

For a full list of streets and cul de sacs that need to be cleared for during snow emergencies, visit bgohio.org.

UPDATED 3:44 P.M.:

The city of Bowling Green will begin to operate under a snow emergency at 8 p.m. on Tuesday night.

Cars should be removed from snow streets by 10 p.m., if they are not they will be cited and towed.

UPDATED 2:57 P.M.:

The National Weather Service is calling for six to eight inches in Bowling Green by Wednesday morning.

While the forecast is being watched, the University won’t make the call to close until around 5 a.m. on Wednesday, said Dave Kielmeyer, University spokesperson.

The University will not usually close for winter conditions unless the Wood County Sheriff’s Office declares a Level 3 Snow Emergency, Kielmeyer said. If a level 3 is declared, the University will close.

John Mayers, a meterologist for the NWS in Cleveland, said the snow is projected to begin around 8 p.m. on Tuesday night and fall lightly until around midnight.

On Tuesday, Bowling Green was projected to be part of what Mayers described as the “axis of the heaviest snow,” he said.

At midnight, the snow will become heavier until 3 a.m., when it may change to a “wintry mix” of freezing rain and sleet, Mayers said.

There may also be one to two more inches that fall during the day Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the city was waiting for the snow and getting the trucks ready to go, said Brian Craft, Public Works director.

At the city council meeting Monday, the city was discussing how to get more salt, as it has 400 tons left from the 1,400 tons it bought at the start of the season.

Craft said the city probably won’t use all of the 400 tons of salt it has left on this storm, but that it is calling it’s provider, Morton Salt, to get more within the next few weeks.

“We tell drivers to knock down on the salt consumption,” Craft said.

The city hasn’t yet declared a snow emergency, but Craft said it would have more information by the end of today.

The Ohio Department of Transportation, which maintains state and federal roads, is preparing for the snow fall by calling in all crews of mechanics, drivers and managers, said Theresa Pollick, public information officer for ODOT District 2.

Pollick said the “salt supply across the entire midwest is having issues.”

It’s not that the Midwest is running out of salt, but that there are issues getting the salt to the locations where it is needed, Pollick said.

“There are multiple issues every municipality is having that are different,” she said.

She said each municipality and ODOT need to help each other out.

Craft said the city is going to talk to ODOT later Tuesday afternoon.

Sometimes, ODOT can help municipalities get salt at a lower price.

“Ultimately, we want to look at the safety of everyone across the state, but we also have to maintain safety of our own routes as well,” Pollick said.

Mayers said the NWS is predicting that when people walk out of their house Wednesday morning, it may be icy.

“Exercise caution on the roadways and walking to the car,” he said.

The “wintry mix” may make the roads “pretty slick” on Wednesday, he said.

The temperatures are projected to drop again on Wednesday, causing the possibility of more snowfall, Mayers said.

If a snow emergency is declared, residents need to move their cars from snow streets within two hours of it being declared and clear their sidewalks within 24 hours of the snow falling, Craft said.

“I think people by this point … have a good handle on what to do,” Craft said. “[They should just] do what they’ve been doing. Most people have taken precautions.”

“We start when the snow flies,” Craft said.

Original Story:

The National Weather Service is calling for six to eight inches in Bowling Green by Wednesday morning.

John Mayers, a meteorologist for the NWS in Cleveland, said the snow is projected to begin around 8 p.m. on Tuesday night and fall lightly until around midnight.

At midnight, the snow will become heavier until 3 a.m., when it may change to a “wintry mix” of freezing rain and sleet, Mayers said.

There may also be one to two more inches that fall during the day Wednesday.