Published: February 09, 2010 08:47 pm      

Blowing snow

Wind might make travel difficult

An increase in wind is predicted to make winter weather more hazardous throughout the day Wednesday and into Thursday.

Although the National Weather Service predicts light snow showers Wednesday, northwest winds increasing to perhaps 30 mph could wreak havoc.

According to the winter storm warning in effect until late Wednesday, the total snowfall should range from 5 to 10 inches.

The winds are expected to cause considerable blowing and drifting, resulting in “near blizzard conditions at times and some impassable roads in rural areas,” according to the weather service.

With snowfall starting Monday night, Logansport street commissioner Don Crain said the conditions today were actually better than expected.

“It went much better than we thought,” Crain said. “Early predictions on this storm were heavy snow and wind in the night, and while we might have the wind the snow has not been as heavy as they thought.”

He said warmer than expected temperatures helped clear roadways.

“The daylight hours have really helped melt what we’ve already cleared off down to the asphalt,” he said.

With half of his crew starting work at 3 a.m. today and the other half starting at 7 a.m., Crain said he was pleased with the results.

All eight of the city’s plows were on the streets today spreading a salt and sand mix to help slick conditions.

“The salt and sand mix reacted much better with the warmer temperatures,” Crain said.

During the morning and early afternoon today, troopers from the Lafayette District of the Indiana State Police covered several slide-offs and crashes. Officers in the district responded to 19 incidents involving property damage and two crashes resulting in minor injuries.

None of the crashes resulted in any serious injury.

According to the state police, the crashes mostly took place on interstates 65 and 74.

Sgt. Tony Slocum of the Peru post said troopers did not work an abnormal number of crashes today.

“It seems like everybody is minding their Ps and Qs and have their winter driving legs under them,” Slocum said. “And with the schools canceled that helped things.”

He said the state police post responded mostly to property damage accidents and had seen no crashes resulting in serious injury as of 4 p.m. today.

“We didn’t have as many accidents as you would expect for the weather we had,” Slocum said. “For the most part it was pretty quiet, not like some other large snow falls we’ve had.”

Crain said high winds would be the major concern for Wednesday, and he had all of his workers scheduled to start work at 3 o’clock this morning.

“They are saying an additional possible 2 to 4 inches of snow, but with the wind, that can have an effect,” he said. “We are trying to play it safe and have them in early and helping possibly to not delay school.”

Slocum also warned the public of high winds and said the state police post is predicting main thoroughfares should be clear but rural roads could suffer drifting, particularly northbound and southbound roads.

Kim Yates, a spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Service in Indiana, said letter carriers throughout the state should be making their appointed rounds to deliver mail as usual. Yates asked the public to clear snow from curbside boxes to allow mail trucks to approach the box.

• Jennifer Tangeman is a reporter for the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at 574-732-5148 or jennifer.tangeman@pharostribune.com.



Staying safe

Winter driving tips from the Peru District of the Indiana State Police:

• Clear all windows, headlights and tail lamps of snow and ice

• Turn headlights on, even in the daylight hours

• Reduce speed

• Be aware of sudden stops

• Keep distance between vehicles; don’t tailgate

• Hang up cell phones and drive with caution

• Buckle up

• Move over and slow down when approaching emergency

vehicles

Want more info? State police ask that the public refrain from calling police posts for traffic and weather conditions. Instead, you can visit www.trafficwise.in.gov or call 800-261-7623.