Winter storm expected to bring 2-4 inches of snow to Columbus Sunday

Updated weather signals on a closely watched winter storm tracking toward Ohio have the National Weather Service in Wilmington upgrading the potential snowfall predicted to hit Greater Columbus Sunday afternoon through overnight.

Travel will be “tricky” as up to half a foot of snow is now predicted in parts of the region, said Logan Clark, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

A subtle westward shift in the track of the low-pressure front has the storm “just knocking on the door for Franklin County,” Clark said.

And the fun is just about to get started, with mixed precipitation probably in the form of sleet beginning to fall between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday. After that, beginning around 6 p.m. two to three inches of snow should start to fall over portions of the northwest Greater Columbus area, into Delaware County, while to the east four to five inches “isn’t out of the question,” Clark said.

In fact, Licking and Fairfield counties could easily see half a foot, or even higher in some locations, he said.

The heaviest accumulation should occur between 6 p.m. and midnight, after which things should begin to taper off, with “scattered snow showers on the back end” that could add a few tenths of an inch through Monday morning.

Overnight temperatures will drop into the mid-20s, causing potential roadway freezing, Clark said. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from northern Kentucky north to Central Ohio through 7 a.m. Monday, the service says.