Rain delays treatment of Columbia roads as wintry mix falls
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Rain that mixed in with the snow Monday made it impractical to apply anti-freezing treatment to Columbia's road, an official said.
Richard Stone, engineering and operations manager with Columbia Public Works, said applying treatment before the rain ended would have been useless because it would be washed away.
A wintry mix of precipitation continued to fall in Columbia late Monday afternoon. Combined with temperatures around freezing overnight, that could lead to some slick spots in the morning.
"Even slick pavement can occur with just water, so that could be what we face tomorrow morning or it could be what we face today where people could potentially be driving too fast for conditions," Stone said. "So really the best answer is to slow down a little bit, be cautious."
The Missouri Department of Transportation reported state highways were clear Monday afternoon. Boone County officials said first responders were sent to eight crashes between 8 a.m. and mid-afternoon. It's not clear how many were weather-related.
The year's first batch of winter weather hit mid-Missouri on Monday morning, prompting Boone County Road and Bridge officials to ready a couple of plow trucks.
Department Director Greg Edington said road and bridge outfitted two plow trucks to keep an eye on road conditions during the early taste of winter.
"Unfortunately it's kind of skirting the northwest county so we have our two trucks on standby out there," Edington said.
Boone County Joint Communications reported a five-vehicle crash on North Highway 63 near Route CC around 8 a.m. Dispatchers also sent out a public alert a little before 8 a.m. saying roads in northern Boone County were icy.
Authorities said the crash was weather-related but no injuries were reported.
Wet snow was falling in central Columbia during the afternoon, with some of it accumulating on grass and elevated surfaces. The ABC 17 News Stormtrack Weather team called a Weather Alert Day for Monday, with winter precipitation possible throughout the day.
Temperatures remained just above freezing in Columbia late Monday afternoon.
Parts of Mid-Missouri remained in a winter weather advisory set to expire Tuesday morning. The watch area includes Howard, Cooper, Chariton, Randolph and Morgan counties.
Stay with ABC 17 News online and watch ABC 17 News at noon, 5 and 6 p.m. for a live report.
