Remember last weekend when the temperatures hovered near the 70-degree mark and you probably went without a jacket? Things have changed.

The deep freeze that hit the area earlier this week has eased just enough to allow for snowfall.

Approximately an inch and a half of snow greeted area residents this morning and forced the cancellation of most county

schools. It also made for slippery travel. Road crews with the Ohio Department of Transportation District 9 and Lawrence County Engineer's Office spent the evening and early morning hours working to remove snow and treat the roadways.

"We'll be busy all day today," Lawrence County Road Supervisor Don Lambert said this morning. "We've got a job. It's slick out."

In a prepared statement, ODOT officials reminded motorists to exercise additional caution when traveling during this winter storm event, allowing additional time to arrive at their destinations and maintaining a safe

distance when following other vehicles. In the statement, drivers were also reminded to give additional caution when traveling over bridges and overpasses where surface temperatures are colder and freezing occurs more quickly.

Ohio State Highway patrol dispatchers this morning reported a number of fender benders due to the poor road conditions, but said there were no major accidents.

According to the National Weather Service, Charleston, W.Va., office, the snow will taper off today, with less than an inch daytime accumulation. By Sunday evening, the temperatures will rise. By the first of next week we can expect more precipitation, this time in the form of rain. The rain is expected to change to snow Monday evening.