COLUMBUS, Ohio - In response to lake effect snow accumulations as deep as 5 feet with more on the way, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties.

Lake-effect snow buried northern parts of the U.S. over the weekend, bringing below-freezing temperatures. Much of Ohio experienced several inches of snowfall, leading to snow warnings across the region.

The National Weather Service says it may start out as rain, but as temperatures quickly drop to below freezing, a sudden burst of heavy snow is expected to drop an inch or so making driving tricky. The high wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour in Greater Akron could create blowing and drifting of snow,

Heavy snowfall will remain in the forecast after Northeast Ohio got hit with the first significant lake effect snow event across the Great Lakes. According to AccuWeather, the frigid flow of air