Snow Emergency Levels

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – With more winter weather on the way, the Muskingum County Sheriff’s office is reminding everyone to be safe.

Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz said there are three different Snow Emergency Levels for Muskingum County that are issued. Sheriff Lutz said a Level 1 emergency means that roads are snow covered or slick from ice, a Level 2 means road conditions have deteriorated and people should not be on the roads if they don’t absolutely need to be. Sheriff Lutz said there is also a Level 3 emergency, which is a shutdown of the roads and no one is to be out driving. He said the Snow Emergency Levels are there to keep the community informed and safe.

“A lot of it is just trying to keep our citizens alert of what’s going on, but we also use that to say hey we need you to be off the streets so that the road crews can keep them clean,” said Lutz.

Sheriff Lutz said they do discuss road conditions and weather conditions with ODOT to determine what level to issue and when to do so.

“Some of the things that we talk about when we are determining these levels is how are county highway and ODOT able to keep up with the roads. We’re usually in contact with them, getting feedback from them,” said Lutz.

Sheriff Lutz said whether Snow Emergency Levels are issued or not, it is up to the driver to use their best judgment as to if they should be on the road. He encourages everyone to take into account their driving experience, vehicle, and the reason for needing to travel before heading out into bad weather.