An abundance of sunlight and treatment by county and city crews has done little to help improve local driving conditions.
Conditions remain very slick both in and around Emporia according to Emporia Public Works Director Dean Grant and Lyon County Sheriff Jeff Cope. Both Grant and Cope anticipate conditions to remain as such well into Tuesday morning.
The combination of sunshine mixed with treatment materials has led to less ice on roadways, however, with temperatures set to hit the single digits Monday night into Tuesday morning, refreezing is a likelihood creating hazardous driving conditions for Tuesday morning commuters.
If you do have to travel, take your time, allow for plenty of space between you and other vehicles and avoid any distractions.
Precipitation began late Sunday afternoon with temperatures reaching the mid-30s overnight and then plummeting 15 degrees in less than 90 minutes by 7 am essentially flash-freezing the roadways. Lyon County Deputy James Baker tells KVOE News deputies were scrambling throughout the day to keep up with the crash load.
Baker says towing companies are “overwhelmed,” so deputies are not calling tow trucks unless vehicles crash and stall out in the roadway.
Earlier in the day, Emporia Police went into phase two crash reporting, however, they have since returned to normal crash reporting procedures. Kandrive.org says highway conditions are still seasonal to at least partly covered.
11:51 am Monday: WEATHER: Law enforcement, towing companies stretched thin responding to numerous crashes after Monday’s refreeze
There are indications the wintry mix of precipitation from Christmas Night may still be impacting area drivers through the rest of Monday, if not perhaps into Tuesday morning.
Conditions rapidly went downhill Sunday evening after a thin glaze of sleet and freezing developed areawide, causing non-injury slideoffs in all area counties and a handful of reported injury crashes in Osage County. Temperatures rose above freezing during the overnight hours, only to crash to the low 20s between 7 and 8 am — and cause another batch of crashes, both injury and non-injury.
Lyon County Deputy James Baker says roads essentially flash-froze after 7 am.
Road crews are out again, but treatment materials likely won’t reach full effectiveness with temperatures possibly in the mid-teens for the rest of Monday.
Baker understands the conditions are difficult — “dangerous,” according to the city of Emporia — and he understands a lot of people are on the move after Christmas. He says it’s just best to avoid traveling for the time being.
A number of travelers have been taken to Flying J to weather the ice. Baker also says towing companies are “overwhelmed,” so deputies are not calling tow trucks unless vehicles crash and stall out in the roadway. Law enforcement has lengthened shifts to handle the crash load.
8:30 am Monday: Flash freeze follows Christmas night wintry mix, causes ‘dangerous’ driving conditions areawide
After a wintry mix of sleet and freezing drizzle on Christmas night, a flash freeze has made for “dangerous” travel conditions in and around Emporia.
The city of Emporia is asking residents to delay travel if at all possible until further notice because of the conditions, both in and near town. Emporia Fire and local law enforcement were called to Interstate 35 mile marker 133 for a reported injury crash involving a pickup and camper shortly after 7:15 am. There were no hospital transports reported.
Emporia has been in Level 2 crash reporting since mid-evening. This is where drivers in non-injury crashes can exchange insurance information and then report the wreck to the Lyon County Emergency Communications non-emergency number at 620-343-4225 once the storm clears.
Kandrive.org says highway conditions are still seasonal to at least partly covered.
5:30 am Monday: Christmas icing still causing hazardous travel areawide
Icing wasn’t limited to Christmas cookies Sunday evening.
The Christmas evening wintry mix is having a significant travel impact Monday morning. Travel is still slick areawide after a thin wintry glaze of sleet and freezing rain developed after sunset, despite work by Emporia city, Lyon County and Kansas Department of Transportation crews in the evening and early overnight hours. Non-injury slideoffs were reported in all area counties, and the Kansas Highway Patrol worked three reported injury crashes in Osage County alone — although only one, a single-vehicle rollover on the Kansas Turnpike about 35 miles northeast of Emporia around 2:45 am Monday, led to hospital transports. George Pennington, age 71 of Topeka, and a passenger, 46-year-old Curtis Odum of Topeka, both went to Stormont-Vail Hospital in Topeka with suspected minor injuries. Several vehicles collided on Interstate 35 at BETO Juncton, but the Coffey County Sheriff’s Office says there were no hospital transports from that incident.
For Monday morning travel, Lyon County Deputy Fernando Zuniga says drivers need to slow down and increase the distance between their vehicles and the others around them.
Emporia has been in Level 2 crash reporting since mid-evening. This is where drivers in non-injury crashes can exchange insurance information and then report the wreck to the Lyon County Emergency Communications non-emergency number, 620-343-4225, once the storm clears.
Highway conditions are still seasonal to completely covered, with Interstate 35 east of Road U and US Highway 75 south of BETO Junction seeing the worst conditions as of 6 am. Travel issues could persist through the morning hours areawide.
Monday will be colder than first thought as a cold front drives temperatures down to the mid-teens by 5 pm and 10 above zero overnight, but high temperatures will be close to 50 degrees by Wednesday and there are chances of rainfall Friday night into Saturday.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates. Click here for KVOE News’ prior coverage.
