Watch: Winter mess coverage across the Valley

(WKBN) – Storm Team 27 was throughout the Valley on Friday, providing you with the latest severe weather coverage.

In Mercer County, the snow has been stacking up in Sharon. Mercer County got its fair share of people dealing with spinning tires and ending up in ditches.

Saire Logan had to dig out a car for his mom and dad.

“Gotta go quick. Gotta get it done so I can get in the house and get warm,” he said.

Shane Paulson and Lauryn Priester were also digging out a car. At first glance, it was not a job Paulson really wanted to tackle.

“I thought maybe I should just call work and stay home,” Paulson said.

But he didn’t, wanting to help his coworkers and not put them in a tougher situation. He worked with his girlfriend to remove the snow, so they could get the car moving.

“Yeah, I got to go to work. My work is like 30 to 40 minutes away so I got to get this done and get out there, show up for my Walmart people,” Priester said.

The snow also led to a bunch of spinning tires. Once people got unstuck, conditions on the back roads were still slippery, and the snow was deep.

Moving snow is easier for Brian Noble, but he’s always preferred machine help using a 1960s model Speedex. The tractors were made in Ohio. Noble put a blade on the front. He paid $1,500 for the tractor five years ago, and it’s been a great investment.

“I started out years ago with a little wheel horse tractor, been plowing working my way up to the big job,” Noble said. “It’s good. I can make about $150 a day plowing.”

Brian says he enjoys helping people out, who otherwise might get stuck in the snow.

In Mahoning County, a number of main roads are in good shape. They’ve been treated and plowed.

Vehicles were reported stuck along Route 11 and I-76 earlier in the day. Now, things are getting back to normal and most highways are clear.

In Youngstown, graders were out since 7 a.m. clearing side roads and working in conjunction with snowplows. They bring these in when the snow passes half a foot in height.

“It’s still going to take probably 48 hours to run our routes completely, and then we just hit the reset button and run them again to push back the curbs and the intersections,” said Kevin Flinn, commissioner of buildings and grounds for the City of Youngstown.

They’ve also been using the Parks and Waste departments to help clear the roads.

Crews will be out all day until they are done. Residents are urged to call if it’s been 48 hours and your street hasn’t been plowed in Youngstown.

In Trumbull County, residents had a big mess to clean up Friday since they saw the higher snow totals from this storm.

The snow made for a picturesque scene in northern Trumbull County. A fresh blanket of snow covered a field as more flurries were coming down. Even the pigs seemed to enjoy playing in it or working to clear it. People were working to clear the snow, too.

Brothers Dustin Wayner and John Gray, III, were working up a sweat shoveling snow from the sidewalk outside Market Square in Kinsman.

“I’m sweating a lot today, shouldn’t be but I am,” said Wayner said.

“It’s awesome. I love doing it. That’s how we were raised as kids is shovel hard and you work hard and you make good money out of it,” Gray said.

In Johnston, Dale Steele was happy to have his snowblower. He used it to clear his driveway and a path in front of his mailbox. He bought the snowblower last year said it was a good investment.

“The mail still runs, so I might get something important. Somebody might send me a check or something,” Steele said.

Ron Rozzo used his tractor to clear the snow from his driveway. He also helped out a few of his neighbors in Bristol, too.

“If you can do something nice for somebody, what’s the sense?” Rozzo said. Snowbanks are piling up as crews are clearing the roads. Most main roads are clear and wet while side roads are snow-covered.

In Mahoning County, the director of Mahoning County’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA) said he felt that everything went smoothly, especially since most people were staying off of the roads.

“We were very prepared for the storm in case, especially with the ice, in case any of that happened. We were expecting some power outages and so we prepared for all of that, and very fortunately, we haven’t had to deal with any of that,” said Andy Frost.

Frost suggests that people continue to stay off the roads, if possible, so plows can clear the roads.

He also said the power and road crews did a great job preparing and reacting to what has happened.

The work for snowplow drivers isn’t done yet. ODOT District 4 serves Mahoning and Trumbull counties. Crews from there will be working through the weekend to clean up the winter mess.

Once the snow stops, crews should be able to clear all primary and secondary roads.

“You’re definitely going to have some, some drifting snow and blowing snow. So, you’ll have crews who’ll plow and treat that, and then 10 minutes later, if you get a wind gust, it’s going to look like there’s another half-inch of snow on the road,” said Justin Chesnic, of ODOT.

Another thing that ODOT is preparing for is the freezing temperatures that will hit the Valley this weekend.