A snow squall warning has been issued for parts of central Ohio, bringing potentially dangerous driving conditions.

The National Weather Service in Wilmington issued the warning until 7:45 p.m. for parts of Franklin, Delaware and Licking counties.

Specifically, the warning is for Interstate 270, U.S. 62, U.S. 40 and U.S. 36 near Columbus; Interstate 70 and US-40 near Newark and U.S. 62 near Johnstown.

The Ohio Department of Transportation asked drivers to use caution and give their workers room on the roads.

Delaware residents can purchase raw milk directly from local dairy farms, following legislation that took effect in September 2024. The law allows consumers to buy unprocessed, unpasteurized and unhomogenized milk directly from dairy producers with the proper permits.

The legislation aims to support Delaware’s dairy farms while providing consumers with more choices in dairy products. However, health officials emphasize the importance of understanding the risks and facts about raw milk before making purchasing decisions.

What is raw milk?

Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized — a process that involves heating milk to a high temperature for a certain amount of time to kill harmful bacteria and pathogens. Proponents of raw milk argue it is a healthier, more nutritious option than pasteurized milk. Some consumers believe raw milk contains beneficial enzymes, probiotics and more natural vitamins that are destroyed during pasteurization.

Pasteurization involves heating beverages to kill disease-causing organisms. This process was first applied to milk in the late 1800s to combat public health threats like listeriosis, typhoid fever and tuberculosis. Today, pasteurization is a standard practice in the dairy industry to ensure milk is safe for consumption.

Raw v. pasteurized milk: 5 things to know

Health officials at the FDA and CDC warn that raw milk can contain pathogens that can cause serious illness. The risks of consuming untreated milk far outweigh any potential benefits. Here’s what to know:

1. Nutritional value: According to the FDA, pasteurization does not significantly change milk’s nutritional value. Both raw and pasteurized milk contain the same essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
2. Safety considerations: The CDC and FDA warn that raw milk can contain harmful bacteria and pathogens that pasteurization normally eliminates. These include E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria.
3. Lactose content: If lactose intolerant, switching to raw milk won’t help. Both raw and pasteurized milk contain the same amount of lactose.
4. Allergies: Milk allergies are caused by proteins that remain unchanged whether the milk is raw or pasteurized. Switching to raw milk will not prevent allergic reactions.
5. Health claims: While some advocate for raw milk’s health benefits, scientific research has not confirmed any advantages of raw milk over pasteurized milk.

Raw milk and bird flu

Delaware’s law allowing raw milk sales comes as bird flu continues to spread across the country.

Dairy cattle, a significant source of human exposure to bird flu, play a key role in monitoring efforts. The virus’s discovery in dairy cattle across 16 states prompted the USDA to institute a proactive milk testing program. There are 15 dairy farms in the First State, as reported by researchers at the University of Delaware’s farm management program. Delaware joined the National Milk Testing Strategy earlier this month to ensure dairy products remain free of contamination.

In December, officials found several wild geese infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or bird flu, along Delaware’s coast in Sussex County. Although most healthy individuals recover from illnesses linked to contaminated milk or bird flu exposure, severe or life-threatening symptoms can occur. In January, the U.S. reported its first death from H5N1 bird flu. The victim, a Louisiana resident over 65 with underlying health conditions, fell ill after contact with wild birds and a backyard flock.

This story was written with contributions from USA TODAY reporter Karen Weintraub. You can contact Anitra Johnson at ajohnson@delawareonline.com.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for New Castle County.

The advisory began at 7 a.m. Sunday and will last until 1 a.m. Monday.

How much snow will Delaware receive?

New Castle County: Will have mixed precipitation early, but as temperatures drop the area is expected to receive 3 to 5 inches of snow. Snowfall rates of an inch per hour should develop at times this afternoon.

Kent Couty: Kent County should receive rain early and then around 1-2 inches of snow.

Sussex County: Sussex County is expected to start with rain and receive less than an inch of snow.

Most Delaware areas have already reached their high temperature for today. At 9 a.m., Wilmington was at 38 degrees.

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After the snow moves off, a blast of frigid temperatures will move into the area. Temperatures are expected to fall below freezing tonight and remain there for several days. As a result, icy and slippery conditions may persist even after precipitation has ended.

How cold will it get in Delaware?

Delaware will face frigid temperatures early next week with sub-zero windchills.

New Castle County

In New Castle County, the low Sunday night will drop to 16. Monday will be sunny with highs around 22. Monday night, lows will drop to 5 degrees. Tuesday will be mostly cloudy with highs near 17. Tuesday night there is a chance of snow with lows dropping to 6 degrees. Wednesday is calling for sunny skies and a high of 16. Wednesday night will be clear with lows hitting 2 degrees.

The temperatures will start warming up on Thursday, and by Saturday New Castle County could break the freezing mark.

Keep you children warm: Cold temperatures are coming to Delaware. How to dress children for winter weather

Kent County

After Sunday’s snow, Monday will be sunny with a high of around 25. Monday night will be clear with lows dropping to 8 degrees. Tuesday is calling for partly cloudy skies and highs only reaching 21 degrees. Tuesday night there is a chance of snow with lows falling to 10 degrees. Wednesday will be clear with highs around 19 degrees and Wednesday night lows will drop to 5 degrees.

Kent County is forecasted to get above freezing on Friday with Saturday’s high around 37 degrees.

Sussex County

Sussex County will also see frigid temperatures after Sunday’s snowfall as highs Monday will hit 26 degrees and the overnight low will drop to 8 degrees. Tuesday will be cloudy with highs around 22 degrees. There’s a chance of snow with lows dropping to 11 degrees on Tuesday night. Wednesday will be sunny with highs around 20 degrees and Wednesday night will be the coldest with lows around 5 degrees.

Sussex County could break the freezing mark on Thursday as highs reach 30 degrees. Friday should have temperatures around 34 and Saturday will see highs around 40 degrees.

What is wind chill?

According to the National Weather Service, wind chill is a term used to describe what the air temperature feels like to the human skin due to the combination of cold temperatures and winds blowing on exposed skin. In simple terms, the colder the air temperature and the higher the wind speeds the colder it will feel on your skin if you’re outside. So even if it remains the same temperature, but the wind speed increases it will feel colder to your skin.