Blast of cold temperatures expected Sunday

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By Thomas Geyer | Sunday, December 2, 2007 2:05 AM CST | () comments

Multiple trucks could be found jack knifed into the ditches off Interstate 280 in Davenport Saturday afternoon, Dec. 1 as an ice storm hit the Quad-City area. (Talya C. Arbisser/ QUAD-CITY TIMES) Buy this Photo

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Winter Weather

After a day filled with rain, snow, sleet, ice and wind that felled trees and power lines, the Quad-City region now must hunker down for a blast of cold air that is going to roll in today and remain well into the week, the National Weather Service said.

But it is going to get much warmer before it suddenly gets very cold.

Temperatures today could rise into the 50s as winds from the south and southwest bring in warmer air, said National Weather Service meteorologist Mike McClure.

“But we’ll be going down from there as the cold front moves through and the cold air pours in,” he said. “We should be only in the upper 20s to low 30s for temperatures by the late afternoon.”

The winds will turn from south and southwest to the west and northwest and will pick back up with gusts running as high as 30 mph, he said. The mercury will dip to around 15 degrees during the overnight hours.

It also will be a cloudy day, today, McClure said, adding that, “There is not a lot of hope for sunshine.”

Monday, however, will be a better day in terms of sun, he said. But the high temperature will only be around 30 degrees, while the overnight low will dip back into the teens.

There is the chance of a couple of inches of snow Tuesday as an Alberta Clipper makes its way into the region, McClure said.

The storm dropped a combination of snow, sleet, freezing rain and ice as it passed over the Quad-Cities.

“It really was a potpourri of weather,” McClure said, adding that the total amount of water the Quad-Cities received came to .63 of an inch as of 7 p.m.

The low temperature for the day was 18 degrees at 2:24 a.m. But by 7 p.m. the thermometer was showing a reading of 34 degrees, and was still climbing.

Tree limbs and power lines started falling all over the place around 4 p.m. as the wind picked up and the ice started melting, he said. Transformers also popped and caught fire.

McClure said that wind gusts reached as high as 40 mph.

At 7:26 p.m. thousands across the Quad-Cities were without power.

Davenport at that time had 8,692 MidAmerican customers without power, while East Moline had 5,596 customers without electricity, according to the company’s Web site. Bettendorf had 1,128 customers out, while Moline had 3,579 customers without power.

“Approximately 250 MidAmerican Energy employees and outside electrical contractors have been working to help restore power to customers as quickly and safely as possible,” said company spokesman Allan Urlis. “More than 500 linemen from other utility companies and outside electrical contractors in other states are on standby and can be called in if they are needed. Since the storm is not over and damage is still being assessed, it would be speculative to say when all customers’ power will be restored, but work will continue 24/7 until all customers have power again.”

There were many wrecks early in the day as the sleet and snow fell.

Illinois State Police Sgt. Thomas Burek of District 7, East Moline, that covers Henry, Knox, Mercer, Rock Island counties, said that since 6 a.m. troopers in the district had handled 21 crashes and 19 motorist assists due to the poor driving conditions caused by the storm.

Only minor injuries were reported in those accidents, Burek said.

Davenport Police Sgt. Al Welke said that the accidents tapered off considerably as the temperature went up and the road conditions improved.

Welke said the wrecks that he knew about either had no injuries or only minor injuries involved.

Thomas Geyer can be contacted at (563) 383-2328 or tgeyer@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.

Earlier story, posted at 5 p.m.

The Quad-City area remains under an ice storm warning as of 4:20 p.m., said Steve Kuhl, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service, Davenport.

But the precipitation fall will change over to rain and the temperature continues to climb, he added.

As of 4:20 p.m., Kuhl said the temperature stood at 32 degrees in the Quad-Cities.

“So we’re getting closer to seeing it change over to just rain,” he said.

Temperatures are expected to climb into the high 30s tonight, topping out at about 38 degrees, Kuhl said.

Sunday’s forecast still calls for a 40 percent chance of rain or snow showers, but little accumulation is expected, he said. The high Sunday should reach to about 40 degrees before a cold front moves through that will cause the mercury to plummet. The overnight low Sunday into Monday is expected to be about 14 degrees.

As of 4:20 p.m., road conditions were treacherous, police said.

Numerous reports of tree limbs and power lines down and cars in ditches have kept area law enforcement agencies busy throughout the day.

Illinois State Police Sgt. Thomas Burek of District 7, East Moline, that covers Henry, Knox, Mercer, Rock Island counties said that since 6 a.m. troopers in the district had handled 21 crashes and 19 motorist assists due to the poor driving conditions caused by the storm.

Only minor injuries were reported in those accidents, Burek said.

But he echoed all the other police agencies in the area who are asking people to stay home unless they have to travel, at least until road conditions improve.

“I wish there was something I could tell them to make them stay off the roads,” said Scott County Sheriff’ Dennis Conard. “But if they have to make a trip, make sure it’s an emergency. We’re responding to tree limbs falling into roadways and power lines down. We don’t need to also be responding to people who slid into the ditch because they were on an unnecessary trip.”

Anyone who has booked a flight out of the Quad-City International Airport, Moline, or are awaiting a flight should check to make sure it has not been cancelled or delayed.

The airport’s Web site is showing numerous flight cancellations and delays for both arriving and departing flights.

River Drive in Davenport which has been closed from Mound Street to Bridge Avenue because of a water main break will be opened tonight, a spokesman for Iowa American Water Company said.

“Our work is done and River Drive will be open tonight by about 6 p.m.,” said Iowa America Water Company distribution supervisor Audie Foster said.

As the afternoon has worn on, there have been more reports of power lines down, transformers blowing and power outages.

MidAmerican Energy officials said the more information the company has about power outages, the better able it can be to dispatch crews to correct the problem. If you assume your neighbor has called and they assume you have called, MidAmerican Energy may not know about the power outage. If your power goes out, customers of MidAmerican Energy are encouraged to call the utility toll-free at (800) 799-4443.

The Des Moines-based company also has rolled out a new tool on its Web site for customers to receive real-time power outage information. Updated every 10 minutes, customers can check at midamericanenergy.com and select Live System Outage.

The data will show how many customers are without power and provides more detailed power outage totals by geographic market. The tool does not indicate when a power outage started, why it happened or an estimated time when power will be restored.

WEATHER CLOSINGS

Due to the weather, these events have been cancelled today:

Official lighting of the Fejervary Children’s Zoo Free Light Display is rescheduled for Dec. 2 at 5:00 p.m.

Loras at North Park mens basketball

Clarke at Cornell mens basketball

Grand View at Dana womens basketball

Mount Mercy at Iowa Wesleyan men and womens basketball

IIT at Martin Luther mens basketball

Moline at Barrington, Ill., boys basketball

Alleman at Rock Falls girls basketball

All Scott County Family Y branches will close at 3 p.m.

The Family Museum and Bettendorf Public Library will close at 2 p.m.

Richard Gephardt visit to Burlington scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Big Muddy’s Bar and Grill

Lt. Governor Judge's visits to Maquoketa and Cedar Falls

The Milan Police Auxiliary “Courtesy Radar Check” scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Galesburg High School girls basketball game with Morton at noon and 1:30 p.m.

Click here for more detailed closing coverage.

Click here for more information on high school sports cancellations.

Stay with QCTimes.com for further information throughout the day.

Thomas Geyer can be contacted at (563) 383-2328 or tgeyer@qctimes.com.