UPDATE – Hancock County has been downgraded to a Level 1 Road Alert as of 2:30 Tuesday afternoon.

Hancock County was placed under a Level 3 Snow Emergency by the sheriff’s office at around 12:30 Tuesday morning.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office defines a Level 3 Emergency as: Most roadways are closed and extremely hazardous/flooded. Employees should comply with workplace policies or contact their employer. Violators may be cited.

Earlier, Seneca County went to a Level 3, closing roadways to non-emergency personnel.

Wyandot and Putnam Counties were also at a Level 3.

The road/weather alert levels for other area counties can be found here.

Persistent snow and high winds were causing blizzard-like conditions and making some roads impassable, especially in rural areas.

Once this snow finally leaves the area, Tuesday will be mostly cloudy with a high around 18 but the wind chill will be -2 at times.

Tuesday night will be mostly cloudy with a low around zero.

(the video below was taken at around 11:45 Monday night)

Findlay City Schools will be closed on Tuesday, February 16th due to the winter storm hitting the area.

There will be no remote learning.

It will be a calamity day.

Happy sledding kids.

Get the full rundown of school closings here.

Hancock County was placed under a Level 2 Road Alert on Monday night.

Hancock County was placed on a Level 2 Road Alert/Weather Advisory early Monday night.

A Level 2 means roads are extremely hazardous and only those who need to be on the roads should be.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office skipped over Level 1 and put the county at Level 2 in the six o’clock hour Monday night as the snow picked up and roads became snow-covered and slippery.

All area counties are under road alerts. The levels will fluctuate so click here for the very latest level.

The different designations are as follows:

Level 1 Road Alert, meaning roadways are hazardous and you should drive with extreme caution.

Level 2 means roadways are extremely hazardous with blowing and drifting snow and/or flooding. Only those who feel it is necessary to travel should be on the roadways.

Level 3 Most roadways are closed and extremely hazardous. Employees should comply with workplace policies or contact their employer. Violators may be cited

Get more on the different levels here.

The video below was taken at around 6 o’clock Monday night.

Forecasters were calling for 6 to 10 inches of snow to fall Monday night and overnight.

Be safe!

Findlay City Schools held an open interview night for substitute teachers.

Superintendent Troy Roth says the district had a substitute shortage even before COVID and then many subs decided to sit out this school year because of the pandemic.

Roth says he was impressed with the quality of substitute teacher candidates they saw at the open interview night.

He says the Ohio Legislature relaxed state requirements concerning substitute teachers and is letting school districts set their own requirements.

Roth says Findlay City Schools is requiring candidates to have a high school diploma, to interview with an FCS administrator, to complete a BCI-FBI background check and to be issued a substitute license through the Ohio Department of Education.

He says the district has around 80 substitutes, but many have decided to sit this school year out because of COVID, so he’s hoping to get that number up over 100.

The pay is $87.13 a day, and the days are 6 1/2 to 7 hours long.

Get more details on becoming a substitute teacher for Findlay City Schools by clicking here.

Two people were injured in a head-on crash just northeast of Findlay.

The crash happened on County Road 236, a little north of State Route 12, at around 7:40 Monday morning.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says Colby Williamson, 18, of Waterville, was driving south on County Road 236 when he went left of center and crashed into a northbound vehicle.

Colby was treated at the scene.

Two people in the northbound vehicle, Briana Zender, 41, and Kelly Morehart, 39, both of Fostoria, were taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital for their injuries.

The sheriff’s office says Colby was issued a citation for left of center.

The Hancock Public Health COVID-19 vaccine clinic that was scheduled for Tuesday, February 16th has been postponed due to the winter storm.

The new date will be Tuesday, February 23rd.

Anyone who had an appointment and is unable to make the new date should call 419-424-7441.

Blanchard Valley Health System also postponed its vaccine clinic for Tuesday.

Hancock Public Health posted the following update on how the vaccination process is going on its social media on Monday.

We know many of our residents are anxious to receive the vaccine and we are working in collaboration Blanchard Valley Health System to distribute the vaccines we receive each week for Hancock County. Here is an example of what you can expect if you receive your vaccine at Blanchard Valley Health System. Due to shortages in the number of vaccines we are receiving, we are currently scheduling individuals age 70+for their first dose. Please preregister at www.hancockph.com and we will contact you when appointments are available.

Blanchard Valley Health System has decided to postpone their COVID-19 vaccine clinic that was planned for Tuesday, February 16th at Blanchard Valley Hospital.

The postponement is due to the winter storm the area is expected to get.

The clinic will be rescheduled for Thursday, February 25th.

Patients should arrive on February 25th at their already scheduled appointment time.

BVHS encourages people to visit bvhsvaccineconnect.com for updates on COVID-19 vaccination clinics, local public health department contacts and general education.

For more details regarding the postponement of the February 16th COVID-19 clinic, click here.

(ONN) – Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has reissued a contentious order limiting the number of ballot drop boxes to one per county for the May 4th primary.

The directive came after LaRose was asked to break a tie in Hamilton County over whether expanding drop boxes should be studied.

A virtually identical order LaRose issued in 2020 sparked litigation by the Ohio Democratic Party and voting and civil rights groups.

Voting rights advocates say the order hurts voters in rural areas and those without transportation.

The order was allowed to stand by the courts, but they rejected the idea that LaRose needs additional legislative action before authorizing drop boxes at multiple locations.

LaRose was recently in Findlay for a roundtable with the Chamber of Commerce.

(the picture above is the drop box outside the Hancock County Board of Elections in Findlay)

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says a teenager was injured in a single-vehicle crash Sunday morning southeast of Benton Ridge.

The sheriff’s office says Rielee Saum, 18, of Findlay, was driving east on Township Road 79, east of Township Road 59, when she lost control and went off the right side of the road and struck an electric pole.

Rielee was taken to Blanchard Valley Hospital for her injuries.

She was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

The crash caused a power outage in the area and Hancock-Wood Electric crews responded.

The entire State of Ohio has been placed under a Winter Storm Warning ahead of what’s anticipated to be a significant winter weather event.

The Winter Storm Warning goes from 1 a.m. Monday until 1 p.m. Tuesday.

For Findlay and Hancock County, the National Weather Service is forecasting 8 to 12 inches of snow.

Forecaster say two rounds of snow are expected across the area.

The first round on Monday morning and during the day will bring 1 to 3 inches of snow and then a second round of snow Monday night will drop 6 to 10 inches of snow.

It will also be very cold, with a high of 17 on Monday and wind chills dropping to single digits or near zero.

The low Monday night will be around 10, with a wind chill of -1.

Travel will become very difficult.

People who must travel should keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in their vehicle in case of an emergency.

Blowing and drifting will become a problem, especially in rural areas.