Temperatures and traffic will get back to normal after early show of winter
A day after the first snowfall of the season blanketed the area Monday, the National Weather Service says temperatures will return to typical fall weather by Wednesday.
Tuesday’s forecast called for a high of 22 degrees, with temperatures expected to drop to 12 degrees by sundown, making it the coldest day of the week. On Monday, a cold front had brought almost a quarter inch of snow into the area.
The high temperature Wednesday will be about 10 to 15 degrees higher, meteorologist Melissa Byrd said.
The forecasted precipitation was increased on Sunday by the National Weather Service, which issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Monday, Byrd said. The weather still surprised some, however.
The St. Clair County Highway Department had pre-treated the roadways, but because it rained before the snow, the treatment had washed off, County Engineer Norman Etling said Tuesday.
When it started to snow Tuesday afternoon, the temperature dropped quickly and the wind picked up, he said, making the roads especially icy and “much worse.”
The department deployed all of its crews to work on salting the roadways after the snow stopped, and two 11-person crews were scheduled to work until 11 p.m. Tuesday to make sure the streets remain clear. The snow plows didn’t have to plow much snow at all, Etling said.
“The sun came out today, which makes things easier, and there’s less traffic because schools were closed, so we’re more efficient,” he said. “We ask people to stay back from snow plows and don’t allow traffic jams to happen, because then we can’t get around.”
Herb Simmons of the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency said there was an above average number of emergency calls in for a snow day.
According to Simmons, Tuesday saw 40 non-injury accidents, one accident with reported entrapment on Illinois 4 at Illinois 161, 10 accidents with injuries, six reported lane blockages and 18 calls for motorist assists, which he said is typically for when a car goes into a ditch.
Several school districts closed school on Tuesday, including those in Belleville, Fairview Heights, Collinsville, East St. Louis and O’Fallon.
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