If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. The Ohio Department of Transportation and Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission strongly encourage motorists to heed all travel restrictions and delay unnecessary travel. Visit www.ohgo.com for the latest travel, roadway, and traffic conditions. Persons should consider delaying all travel. If travel is absolutely necessary, drive with extreme caution. Consider taking a winter storm kit along with you, including such items as tire chains, booster cables, flashlight, shovel, blankets and extra clothing. Also take water, a first aid kit, and anything else that would help you survive in case you become stranded. During lake effect snow, the weather can vary from bands of locally heavy snow to dry weather just a few miles away. Visibilities can also vary greatly. Be prepared for rapid changes in weather, visibility, and road conditions.

* WHAT...Heavy lake effect snow. Additional snow accumulations of 6 to 18 inches with locally higher amounts. Southwest winds gusting as high as 35 mph. * WHERE...Ashtabula Inland, Ashtabula Lakeshore, Geauga, and Lake Counties. * WHEN...Until 10 AM EST Saturday. * IMPACTS...Visibilities may drop below 1/4 mile due to falling and blowing snow with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour. Travel could be very difficult to impossible. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The snow will be heaviest along the lakeshore in Lake and Ashtabula Counties. Northern portions of Geauga County may be clipped with heavy snow bands at times although accumulations in Geauga County will range from 3 to 6 inches in the north with little accumulation in the south.