A light mist fell overnight, turning to ice on sidewalks and roadways around Mid-Missouri, causing hazardous travel conditions where surfaces were untreated.
Getting to one's car was difficult because driveways, sidewalks and even grassy areas had a coating of ice, making walking a tricky task. Jefferson City Public Schools, Helias, Blair Oaks, Eugene, Russellville and many area schools cancelled classes for today. See the link to the list below.
Cole County deputies on patrol early this morning encountered lettered state routes and county roads that were extremely slick where they had not been treated with road salt. Many Jefferson City streets stayed just wet because crews worked on them throughout the night, but motorists should be cautious of patches of ice.
Between 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and 6 o'clock this morning, Jefferson City police responded to 46 calls for accidents in the Jefferson City area, 21 of which resulted in accident reports. Of those, none were reported to involve injury.
Authorities said the 13,000 block of Route C just east of Russellville was closed shortly before midnight because of a "traffic hazard" caused by the icy roadway, but was reported to be reopened before 2 a.m.
National Weather Service statement:
A winter weather advisory for freezing rain ended at 6 a.m.
- Timing: Most of the accumulating precipitation should end around daybreak. There's only a slight chance for additional precipitation before noon.
- Accumulations: Any new ice accumulations will be minor.
- Impact: Untreated roads, sidewalks and parking lots have become extremely slippery. (See the link to the statewide road condition travel report below.)
It only takes a small amount of wintry precipitation to make roads, bridges, sidewalks and parking lots icy and dangerous.
See also:
Area school closings, weather-related changes for Thursday, Dec. 16
Online Resources:
News Tribune forecast, current conditions
National Weather Service Winter Weather Video Update
National Weather Service Winter Weather Advisories
Road Conditions Around Missouri
Real Time Mid-Missouri Traffic Cameras
Missouri Highway Patrol Troop F (Central Missouri) Crash Reports