Location. Location. Location.
Things were bright and sunny Thursday in Akron.
But if you ventured a snowball’s throw away in Fairlawn, snow flurries and squalls greeted holiday shoppers at Summit Mall.
And further north in the Hudson, Nordonia Hills and Stow-Munroe Falls school districts, students got an early Christmas present with a day off as lake-effect snow created dangerous driving conditions.
It was a busy day for tow truck operators with a flurry of fender benders, but authorities did not report any significant mishaps.
But with lake-effect snow, it is always a story of the have and have-nots.
One equalizer in this weather event was the chilly temperatures that were pretty much stuck in the lower teens during the day and into the single digits into Friday morning with wind chills well below zero throughout the region.
This sets the stage for what the National Weather Service is calling a “roller coaster ride in temperatures” into the weekend.
Forecasters say the good news is the temperatures are expected to rise into the upper 40s or even 50 degrees Saturday.
But first there will be widespread snow Friday night into Saturday morning with anywhere from 2 to 4 inches of the white stuff expected to fall before a brief switch to sleet and freezing rain.
Rain will be on tap for Saturday afternoon before turning back to snow Saturday night.
Sunday looks to be a chilly one with temperatures in the 20s with snow flurries.
And it looks like Santa might have to install the wheels on the old sled in the Akron area as the early prognosis for a white Christmas looks bleak with highs expected in the 40s with rain in the forecast.
Craig Webb can reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3547.