ODOT releases roadway safety video as winter weather begins
Ohio Department of Transportation warned travelers to give crews enough room to clear the roads after dozens of accidents.
As central Ohio temperatures continue to bite, some schools in the area have canceled or delayed classes for Jan. 20.
The National Weather Service issued a cold weather advisory for most parts of central Ohio, including Columbus, from 7 a.m. on Martin Luther King Jr. Day through 10 a.m. on Jan. 20. Throughout the national holiday, temperatures plummeted as low as -8 degrees, with the NWS warning of wind chills dipping to -15.
The alert encompasses Franklin, Union, Delaware, Madison and Licking counties, as well as other portions of west central Ohio and east central Indiana.
Temperatures on Jan. 20 are projected to ease slightly from the holiday, with a high near 22 degrees and a sunny forecast, according to the NWS. But wind chill values are expected to remain in the sub-zeroes, as low as -3. Temperatures could get back above freezing on Jan. 21.
Which central Ohio schools are closed for weather on Jan. 20, 2026?
Here are the Franklin, Delaware, Licking, Union, Madison, Pickaway and Fairfield schools or school districts that have announced delayed starts or full-day closures for Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, as reported by Dispatch news partner NBC4/WMCH-TV as of the evening of Jan. 19.
- A+ Children’s Academy – closed
- Berne Union Schools – closed
- Bloom-Carroll Local School District – 2-hour delay
- Buckeye Valley Schools – closed
- Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking County – closed
- Columbus Bilingual Academy North – closed
- Columbus Bilingual West – closed
- Cornerstone Academy – closed
- Delaware Area Career Center – closed
- Delaware City Schools – closed
- Eagle Wings Academy – closed
- Fairbanks Local School District – 2-hour delay
- Fairfield Union Local Schools – closed
- Graham Elementary and Middle School – closed
- Granville Christian Academy – closed
- Granville Exempted Village Schools – 2-hour delay
- Harvest Prep School – closed
- Heath City Schools – closed
- Horizon Science Academy (elementary, middle, primary and high) – closed
- Jefferson Local Schools – 2-hour delay
- Jonathan Alder Schools – 2-hour delay
- Kids Care Elementary School – closed
- Lakewood Local Schools – closed
- Liberty Christian Academy – closed
- Liberty Christian Early Education Center (Pataskla) – closed
- Liberty Christian Early Education Center (Pickerington) – closed
- Liberty Union-Thurston Local Schools – closed
- Licking Heights Local Schools – 2-hour delay
- Licking Valley Local – closed
- Madison Christian School – closed
- Marysville Ex Village Schools – 2-hour delay
- Newark Catholic High School – closed
- Newark City Schools – closed
- Noble Academy Columbus – closed
- North Fork Local – closed
- Northridge Local Schools – closed
- North Union School District – 2-hour delay
- South Columbus Preparatory Academy – closed
- South Columbus Preparatory Academy at German Village – closed
- Southwest Licking Schools – closed
- St. Frances de Sales Elementary – closed
- The Charles School at ODU – closed
- The Learning Spectrum (Johnstown) – closed
Note that Columbus City Schools was scheduled to be closed to students on Jan. 20, 2026 due to a professional development day for staff.
Will Columbus warm up the rest of the week? Snow, temperature forecast for central Ohio
The NWS’ forecast for the remainder of the week in Columbus includes a bit of a temperature roller coaster, including potential snow and rain in the coming days.
- Monday night: Partly cloudy, low around 7 degrees. Wind chill values as low as -4 degrees. West winds ranging 6 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 21.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 22 degrees. Wind chill values as low as -3 degrees. West winds ranging 6 to 10 mph.
- Tuesday night: Increasing clouds, with a low around 15 degrees. South winds ranging 6 to 9 mph.
- Wednesday: A 40% chance of snow and/or rain throughout the day. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39 degrees. South winds ranging 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 34. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
- Wednesday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26 degrees. Southwest winds ranging 8 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 22.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 33.
- Thursday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 11 degrees.
- Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 20 degrees.
- Friday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 3 degrees.
- Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 12 degrees.
- Saturday night: A 30% chance of snow. Partly sunny, with a low around 3 degrees.
- Sunday: A 30% chance of snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 17 degrees.
- Sunday night: Partly sunny, with a high near 23 degrees.
Reporter Emma Wozniak can be reached at [email protected] or @emma_wozniak_ on X, formerly known as Twitter.
