Ice storm brings more misery to area
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By Linda Cook | Monday, December 10, 2007 |
Freezing drizzle and temperatures below freezing will continue to create icy conditions today on some local sidewalks and parking lots.
Andy Ervin, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said that cloudy skies and cold temperatures will continue today.
“Since most of the roads across eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois have been salted, it’s probably not going to cause much of a problem except for sidewalks and other untreated surfaces,” Ervin said.
Freezing drizzle started Saturday afternoon to the west of the Quad-Cities and by mid-evening moved into the Quad-City area, lasting through much of the night and part of Sunday.
“If you haven’t salted your sidewalk or scraped loose your car, it’s probably still encased in ice, and it’s probably still slippery,” Ervin said.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch through Tuesday because there’s a possibility of a combination of sleet, snow and freezing rain — perhaps more than a quarter inch of ice accumulation.
The watch is in effect, in general, for the area along and south of Interstate 80, Ervin said. The northern sections stretch from Whiteside, Rock Island County, Scott County, to Louisa, Washington and Keokuk counties. Residents of those counties and south of that area are in a winter storm watch for this evening through Tuesday afternoon.
In Chicago, officials used the city’s emergency phone system to warn elderly residents about walking on icy sidewalks and driveways. Recorded messages went out Sunday morning to the phones of about 2,700 older Chicago residents, urging extreme care while walking outdoors because of icy conditions
Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, one of the nation’s busiest, canceled more than 400 flights. The Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington canceled several flights, and the Illinois Department of Transportation reported slippery conditions on Interstates 55, 74, 39 and 57.
In addition, the National Weather Service issued freezing-rain advisories and ice-storm warnings for several counties in Illinois. About 14,000 customers lost electrical power in Central Illinois, said Ameren spokesman Neal Johnson in Peoria. Crews were repairing downed lines Sunday afternoon, he said.
The airports in Kansas City, Mo.; and St. Louis also canceled several flights.
More than 130,000 customers lost power in Missouri, Oklahoma, Illinois and Kansas, utility companies reported. Some communities in Missouri reported ice as thick as three-quarters of an inch, the National Weather Service said.
“The rural roads are pretty rough, the main highways are pretty clear, and the overpasses are slick,” said John Christiansen, emergency management director in Missouri’s St. Clair County. Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard.
Places of worship across the region called off services because of the slippery roads. Roads in all but the southeastern corner of Oklahoma were considered slick and hazardous, the state Department of Transportation said.
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard to aid communities affected by the stormy weather that started Saturday and was expected to continue through midweek.
Ice as much as a half-inch thick coated roads and tree limbs in sections of extreme southeast Kansas. At Kansas City International Airport, 18 flights had been canceled by midmorning Sunday, and 13 flights were called off at St. Louis Lambert International Airport.
Forecast
The weather forecast brings little relief from below-freezing temperatures, according to the National Weather Service. Here’s a look at what to expect the rest of the week:
Today will be partly sunny, with a high near 23. Tonight brings a chance of snow, freezing rain and sleet before midnight, then freezing rain and sleet likely. Lows will be around 22. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than 1 inch is possible.
Highs on Tuesday should be in the upper 20s to about 30 with occasional freezing rain, mixing with snow after noon. The high will be near 29. There is an 80 percent chance of precipitation.
Tuesday night brings a chance of snow and sleet, mainly before midnight. The low will be around 15.
There is a 30 percent chance of snow on Wednesday, when the high will be near 31 and a low around 17. Thursday will be partly sunny, with a high near 30.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
The city desk can be contacted at (563) 383-2450 or newsroom@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.
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