Can you dig it? Yellow Springs was forced to. Following last weekend’s snowstorm that ran through nearly two thirds of the continental United States, Yellow Springs was buried under more than a foot of snow. Since Sunday evening, Village Public Works has been at work clearing roads and sidewalks — even ferrying hundreds of truckloads of plowed snow caked on downtown thoroughfares to Sutton Farm. (Photo by Reilly Dixon)
Record-breaking snowstorm hits village
- Published: February 6, 2026
Culturally, Yellow Springs may be unique from its neighbors. Climatologically, not so. That reminder came in heavy sheets last weekend when a winter storm swept and blanketed the village in more than a foot of snow.
Like nearly two thirds of the entire country, from New Mexico to Maine, Yellow Springs was hit by what some media outlets have dubbed the “Great Snowstorm of 2026.”
As of press time — nearly a week after the first flake fell late Saturday, Jan. 25 — the village remained mostly buried. Ongoing near-zero temperatures are doing a fine job in preserving the mounds of snow made by plow and shovel.
Perhaps only the John Bryan Community Pottery penguins are pleased with all the snow piled up around town. (Photo courtesy of the Village of Yellow Springs)
According to some initial reports, it was a record-breaking storm. The National Weather Service stated that 12.4 inches of snow fell on the Dayton International Airport on Jan. 25, thus beating the previous record held by the infamous Blizzard of 1978. By 0.2 inches, last weekend’s storm holds the regional title for the most snow to fall in 24 consecutive hours.
Yellow Springs fared better than elsewhere. An estimated 600,000 homes across in the U.S. were left without power as a result of the winter storm. Here: Few, if any, snow-related outages were reported. Better yet, roads and sidewalks have only gotten better since last weekend.
Biting winds and plowed-in cars still badger some, but by and large, village life has mostly returned to normal — albeit with slightly slicker conditions. School was canceled for several days, and by Tuesday morning, most downtown businesses resumed regular hours.
Village Manager Johnnie Burns said municipal crews were quick to answer Jack Frost’s call last weekend.
Preparation, he said, began last Friday, ahead of the storm, as crews applied a salty brine to most village roadways — a move that allowed staffers to wait until Sunday morning to begin plowing. Four crew members reported for duty at 2:30 a.m. Sunday; an additional four came in at 10 a.m. The heavy snow wouldn’t stop for another eight hours, nor would the Village’s response.
“The sheer volume was the biggest challenge,” Burns told the News earlier this week. “Streets can only hold so much snow, which makes relocation necessary. Downtown, in particular, required significant efforts. Crews relocated approximately 100 dump trucks worth of snow from the downtown area to Sutton Farm to keep roads and parking areas passable.”
They were still at it Tuesday afternoon, temporarily closing Corry Street between Xenia Avenue and Dayton Street to through traffic while filling another dump truck.
More than a foot of snow along a neighborhood sidewalk. (Photo by Matt Minde)
Burns said one secret to the Village’s success came from the continued, regular maintenance of their vehicles — the trucks, backhoe, front-end-loader and Bobcat.
“Regular maintenance on our vehicles really paid off, resulting in minimal equipment breakdowns during the storm,” he said. “There was also minimal traffic, which allowed crews to work more efficiently and safely while plowing and treating roads.”
Leading the Village snow squad, Burns said, was Foreman Tanner Bussey, whose organization and leadership in keeping his street team “prepared and ready to respond” was instrumental in the Village’s cleanup efforts.
The News caught up with Bussey on Monday, just as his Bobcat was scooping up snow in front of the Senior Center.
“All things considered, things have been going pretty alright,” the foreman shouted over the hum of his front loader. “It was real light snow, it moved pretty easily. But there’s just so much of it. I actually have a burst blood vessel in my eye from staring at it for so long.”
He added with a laugh: “I think I’ve gone colorblind after looking at it for so long. I’m looking forward to a nice mild summer.”
Like Bussey, villager Eric Lawhorn has been hard at work since the snow fell. As of press time, he said he’s shoveled 14 local driveways and sizeable stretches of downtown sidewalks.
“I wish more snow would come, honestly,” Lawhorn said. “I don’t mind it one bit.”
What’s Lawhorn’s secret to warding off the snowpack blues?
“Just dress warm and have a positive attitude, baby,” he said.
Whatever philosophy helps Yellow Springs get by, warmer weeks are still quite a ways away.
Case in chilly point, the low temperature forecast for today’s publication date is -9 degrees. Some forecasts indicate that more snow is may be on its way — Southwest Ohio may get clipped this coming weekend/early next week by an incoming nor’easter
making its way up the East Coast.
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