Several Northeast Ohio counties, including Summit, Medina and Portage, will begin at 4 a.m. Monday, Dec. 29 and run until 1 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30.
Westerly winds of 20 to 30 mph are expected, with gusts as high as 55 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Strong winds can blow over unsecured objects. Tree branches may be blown down and several power outages may result.
Such strong winds can make driving difficult, especially for taller vehicles.
Due to expected high winds, some vehicle access to the Ohio Turnpike will be restricted.
Ohio Turnpike implements vehicle restrictions
The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission has issued weather event travel restrictions for select vehicles on the entire 241-mile Turnpike from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Monday, December 29. Restrictions are in place for certain vehicles that may be more susceptible to high wind speeds.
The Ohio Turnpike remains open to all passenger vehicles and most commercial vehicles when weather event travel restrictions are in effect.
During the travel restrictions, the following types of vehicles are prohibited from operating on the Ohio Turnpike:
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All tall (height over 7 feet 6 inches) pull-behind trailers, campers, boats and enclosed trailers. (This does not include trailers with fifth wheel type trailers).
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Commercial truck towing an empty 53-foot single box trailer.
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All mobile homes, office trailers and livestock trailers.
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All long combination vehicles (LCV), including double-trailer combinations exceeding 90 feet in length. (Enclosed trailers only, including Conestoga model trailers).
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All LCV three-trailer combinations.
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Two-axle buses over 40 feet in length.
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Buses with three or more axles and more than 45 feet in length.
During the restrictions, the following types of vehicles are allowed on the Ohio Turnpike:
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Passenger cars and pickup trucks.
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A commercial truck tows a fully loaded 53-foot single trailer.
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Self-propelled RV.
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Folding camper trailer.
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Pickup truck with slide-in camper.
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A vehicle towing a fifth-wheel type trailer or any other type of trailer (not listed in the “Prohibited” vehicles section above) pulled by a passenger car or pickup truck.
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A commercial truck that tows a single flatbed trailer or tank trailer.
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Commercial truck towing car transport trailer.
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Commercial truck towing flatbed double trailer combination.
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Towing any commercial truck with a two-trailer combination less than 90 feet.
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Two-axle buses are less than 40 feet long.
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Buses with three or more axles and less than 45 feet in length.
Turnpike Commission engineering and maintenance staff will continue to evaluate travel restrictions throughout the weather event. Please visit https://bit.ly/4qrip8m for complete travel alerts.
Starting early Monday morning, wind gusts up to 55 mph are possible. Strong winds can blow over unsecured objects and tree branches can be blown over. Power outages may also occur.
Frost expected in early 2026
Temperatures are expected to drop sharply, with a high of 62 degrees expected today and 33 degrees on Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Monday night’s low is expected to be around 20 degrees, with several inches of snow possible. Tuesday is expected to be cooler, with a high of 27 degrees and a low of 20 degrees.
A high of 31 degrees is expected on Wednesday, with a low of about 18 degrees on New Year’s Eve, according to the National Weather Service. On New Year’s Day, the maximum temperature is expected to be around 25 degrees and the minimum temperature is around 11 degrees.
Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com
This article originally appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal: Windy weather expected to limit Ohio Turnpike travel