The first winter storm of 2008 sent dozens of cars spinning on icy roads and authorities reported numerous accidents Tuesday night.

The Ohio Highway Patrol investigated 10 accidents in a little more than six hours and road conditions were tough by 9:30 p.m., according to Dispatcher Kevin Koney.

“There are a lot of minor accidents,” Koney said. “It’s usually not as busy on New Year’s Day, so that helps.”

There were several injury accidents, but none were life-threatening, Koney said.

Snow plows and salt trucks were some of the most visible vehicles on the streets in Elyria and Lorain on Tuesday evening, where other vehicles were few and far between.

By about 8 p.m., 3 inches of snow had fallen in Wellington, 2 inches in North Ridgeville and 1.9 inches in Oberlin, according to observers reporting to the National Weather Service.

Much more fell in Geauga County, where observers reported 6 to 7 inches by mid-evening, according to Meteorologist Mark Adams.

There was one report of 12 inches in Geauga County and 10 inches in Pierpont Township in Ashtabula County, he said.

“In Lorain County itself, you’re looking at a little less — 3 to 6 inches total,” Adams said.

Power also was cut to 10,000 Northeast Ohio customers as the snowstorm blew across Lake Erie, a utility spokesman said.

Outages from power lines pulled down by winds and falling tree limbs were mainly in areas east of Cleveland, though there were some problems within the city, said Chris Eck, a spokesman for FirstEnergy Corp.

The company called in extra crews to help restore power, but they were having difficulty keeping up with the storm, he said.

“As they’re getting lights on, lights are going off. They’re just fighting it as it happens,” Eck said.

FirstEnergy expected to have power restored by midnight to all but about 1,000 homes, he said.

Firefighters blamed high winds for downed power lines that sparked a fire in Willoughby on Tuesday morning. Two cars and the roof of a parking garage were destroyed, authorities said.

Snow showers were expected in Lorain County through this morning, tapering off to scattered snow showers in the afternoon with highs in the mid-20s, Adams said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Cindy Leise at 329-7245 or cleise@chroniclet.com. 

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