The snow began falling Wednesday afternoon. By nightfall fine flakes of snow had formed a blanket across the Tri-State. By this morning, that blanket was a veritable quilt of white fluffiness.

According to official reports from the National Weather Service in Charleston, the Ironton Ashland area is under 4 inches of snow. By the time the snow stops, the area could receive two more inches.

"What happened was, a cold front came through Monday, and the cold air allowed moisture from the gulf to come in," NWS meteorologist Eric Seymour said.

Seymour said the back edge of the precipitation passed through an area along the Ohio/West Virginia border at approximately 9 a.m. this morning. The snow was expected to taper off around noon.

The last time this area got this much snow accumulation was Jan 6 and 7, when a snow storm dumped 6 inches of snow on the Tri-State.

The weather forecast for this evening calls for partly cloudy skies with lows in the teens. Tomorrow's forecast calls for mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the low 30s. Seymour said the area may experience another chance for light precipitation in some form Sunday.

The snow was cause for celebration for students throughout the area: officials canceled classes. The snow wreaked havoc on travel as well.

"We don't have any roads closed but cars are in the ditch everywhere," Ohio State Highway Patrol dispatcher Mark Duncan said this morning. "The cement plant bridges on U.S. 52 are impassable."

Ohio Department of Transportation District 9 crews began last night treating roadways at approximately 8 p.m.

"All available crews from the Ohio Department of Transportation District 9 highway maintenance facilities continue to battle snow-covered roadways this morning as southern Ohio has been ripped by its first heavy snowstorm of the season," Kathleen Fuller said. "While the District 9 crews will continue to plow the highways, motorists who must travel are advised to exercise extreme caution."