Intrepid video reporter rides a snowplow

By TIM UNRUH

Salina Journal

Snow-packed streets and highways slowed traffic and contributed to slippery going Tuesday in Salina and north-central Kansas.

Other than the four-plus inches of snow -- more than twice the predicted depth -- there was nothing unusual, said Duane Zook, Salina street superintendent.

"The forecast was for flurries to one inch. That being said ... we're still fine. Things are moving right along," he said.

But what has Zook and other street and road experts concerned is the National Weather Service prediction for tonight through noon Thursday -- ice.

Bad memories from the nearly inch-thick glaze that coated Salina and a large part of Kansas Dec. on 10 and 11 last year still linger in these parts.

Lengthy power outages. Emergency shelters. Impassable streets thanks to broken tree limbs, power lines and power poles. Generator shortages and car crashes.

"Oh, hush," scolded Don Hellwig, general manager of DS&O Rural Electric Cooperative, Solomon. It cost the company $3 million to restore power, and the ice caused $15.3 million in long-term damage.

But there's not as much to fear this time, with only one-10th of an inch of ice expected, said Scott Blair, meteorologist at the weather service office in Topeka. Precipitation may begin as snow but switch to freezing rain tonight through lunch hour Thursday.

"Those amounts can change, but if it stays cold enough, it's plausible we could see something along those lines," Blair said. "That's a far cry from the one inch of ice that you had last year around this time."

Today's forecast includes a 20 percent chance of freezing rain after midnight and low temperatures of 20 to 25 degrees. Thursday will be cloudy with a chance of freezing rain into the afternoon hours. The high will reach 35. Winds will range from 5 to 10 mph tonight into Thursday morning, with gusts to 15.

Similar predictions have been made for north-central Kansas and northwest Kansas, Blair said, although the Colby and Goodland areas will experience lows around 13 degrees.

That forecast doesn't sound so bad, said Hellwig, whose customers are spread over 3,000 square miles in parts of 10 counties, including Saline, Dickinson, Ottawa, Geary and McPherson.

"Utilities experience minor ice storms almost every year. A 10th of an inch of ice may cause some problems in some areas, but it won't be the massive damage we experienced last year," Hellwig said.

Electric lines replaced last year are stronger, with many new poles and cross arms, but DS&O has hundreds of miles of line that should be replaced, he said.

Other than stocking the trucks and placing the 28 outside workers on call, there's not much preparation to be made, Hellwig said.

Salina's street crews began applying salt at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Zook said, and started putting plows on trucks at 4:30 a.m.

The coming drizzle presents unknown factors, such as figuring out how much ice will form, if any.

"We're already out there in snowplow mode. The worst that can happen is if you have tree limbs start breaking and falling on streets," Zook said. "It would slow down our snowplowing operation."

Kansas Department of Transportation workers were "hard at it" Tuesday morning, clearing snow from the highways and other roads in the Salina area, said Carl Wolf, maintenance engineer.

"We're having trouble melting everything because temperatures are so low. We're putting (brine and salt) to help traction," he said. "It's drivable out there, but you've got to drive with caution."

There were several crashes in the Salina area.

Jericho Hoover, 29, 601 N. 13th, was driving slowly when his sport utility vehicle slid out of control at 6:10 a.m. Tuesday on Old Highway 40 near Woodward Road. Lt. Brent Melander said the SUV entered the north ditch and rolled onto its top. Hoover was taken to Salina Regional Health Center, where he was treated in the emergency department.

Hoover was wearing a seat belt, Melander said, "which probably saved him from being severely injured."

Salina police offers responded to some minor crashes Tuesday.

"We were not overwhelmed. We did not have any bad wrecks in town," said Carson Mansfield, deputy police chief.

Slick conditions contributed to an injury crash on Interstate Highway 135 at the Lindsborg exit.

Eric M. Williamson, 29, Salina, was taken to Lindsborg Community Hospital after the car he was driving south slid out of control and struck a bridge railing at 6:50 a.m., according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Two passengers in the car, Brandy M. Olson, 26, and Liliana Florez-Olson, 2, both of Salina, were not injured. All were wearing safety restraints.

Williamson's condition was unknown.

Highway patrol troopers worked a number of minor injury or noninjury crashes, including several involving vehicles sliding off the highway.

Bitterly cold temperatures and a furnace with an attitude forced LaFiesta Mexican Restaurant, 1200 E. Crawford, to close at noon Monday, said Claudia Franco, an assistant to the manager.

The furnace began acting up Sunday, causing the restaurant to close early.

"Sometimes the furnace would kick on. Sometimes it wouldn't," she said.

When the temperature dipped to 56 degrees in the restaurant Monday, despite the use of space heaters, business was put on hold. Water pipes had frozen.

"We realized around noon (Monday) it was just too cold to be serving people," Franco said.

If the La Fiesta furnace issues were solved Tuesday, she said the restaurant would open at 11 a.m. today.

n Reporter Tim Unruh can be reached at 822-1419 or by e-mail at tunruh@salina.com.

Join the Discussion:

Salina.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here. Read our full online terms of service policy.

Post a comment
Your best chance of getting your comment posted:

• No profanity
• Be civil
• Everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

Comment:

Poster:

Enter text seen above:

Read our full use policy.