(Photo by Art Smith) Two people walk a dog in Belpre’s Civitan Park Monday morning as snow covers a tree still bearing its colorful fall leaves.

PARKERSBURG — The Mid-Ohio Valley experienced the first snowfall of the coming winter on Monday.

There was a big surge of Arctic cold air that came down from Canada which accounted for the colder temperatures and snowy conditions, said Meteorologist Joe Curtis with the National Weather Service in Charleston.

“It is not going to be here too long,” he said.

While the National Weather Service forecast called for heavy snow accumulations of 4-8 inches in parts of the northeast, northern and southeast regions of West Virginia, light accumulations of 1-2 inches were predicted for the Mid-Ohio Valley.

The Parkersburg-Marietta area ended up with 2-4 inches of snowfall on Monday and going into Tuesday, Curtis said.

(Photo by Jess Mancini) There may be snow on the roof of the bird feeder, but that doesn’t mean the furnace is out below.

Just to the west of Parkersburg, around Athens, Ohio, they received about a ½ inch to 1½ inches, Curtis said, adding there were reports of 3 inches to the east of Parkersburg.

Monday night into Tuesday morning saw temperatures reach into the lower 20s across the area, Curtis said.

At 4 p.m. Monday, Washington County Sheriff Mark Warden issued a level one snow emergency, meaning there was blowing and drifting snow on the roads and the roadways were icy.

A dispatcher for the Ohio Highway Patrol said there had been some accidents in the area Monday afternoon and evening.

“We’ve had four crashes,” she said. “None of them are serious, but they are weather-releated.” She said the accidents have been on Ohio 26 and 60 and Interstate 77.

(Photo by Jess Mancini) A light dusting of snow on Monday morning on the Henry Cooper Log Cabin at City Park.

In Wood County a 911 dispatcher supervisor said there had been eight crashes Monday afternoon. She said most of the crashes were on U.S. 50 and I-77; however,there were no serious injuries.

Curtis said temperatures would reach the lower 40s Tuesday afternoon.

“We are not expecting any more snow,” he said for the rest of the week. “The snow should pretty much be over with.

“We can’t rule out a flurry, but no more accumulating snow.”

Temperatures are expected to reach in the 50s today and Thursday with temperatures expected around 60 by Friday and the mid-60s by Saturday and Sunday with mostly sunny skies, Curtis said.

(Photo by Jess Mancini) Drivers were greeted by a dusting of snow Monday for their morning commutes and coffee in the McDonald’s drive thru. Temperatures in the high 50s are forecast for later in the week.

“The warmth should return,” he said.

The first official day of winter is Dec. 21.