Rain, Ice And Wind, Make Roadways Hazardous
WARSAW — Emergency response teams, as well as city and county street and highway department employees, are working feverishly Tuesday, Feb. 12 to counteract the negative effects of a rare weather anomaly that happens only a few times a year, if at all.
With temperatures hovering below, at and slightly above freezing, coupled with the presence of precipitation, ice has formed on roadways and trees, causing slide-offs of vehicles on roads, as well as downed trees and tree limbs obstructing the roads.
According to Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent Scott Tilden, highway trucks are driving the county roads looking for downed trees and limbs in the roads.
“We’re finding a lot, plus we’re getting a lot of calls,” Tilden said. “It’s caused by the weight of the ice on the limbs, plus the wind,” he said.
The perfect storm of temperature plus freezing rain is also causing paved roads to become slick, requiring motorists to slow speeds and use caution while driving.