TROY — With a strong winter storm continuing to move through the Miami Valley, Miami County Sheriff Dave Duchak requests that everyone who does not have to be on the roadways to please stay home.

Duchak placed Miami County under a Level 2 Snow Emergency at 12:45 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 23. A Level 2 emergency means that roadways are only open for those who must be out for work.

“Since then, conditions have continued to deteriorate,” said Duchak, “and highways in rural areas are drifting closed.”

State Route 41, west of Troy experienced large drifts that caused a number of slide-offs and stuck vehicles on Friday afternoon.

Wind gusts near 50 miles per hour are causing roadways to drift closed as quickly as road crews can get to them with plows.

Duchak asks motorist to stay off the highways “unless absolutely necessary” through Saturday afternoon, both for the safety of motorists and to keep roads free of traffic for emergency vehicles to respond when called.