ALL THE COLD, HALF THE SNOW...Forecasts called for 12 to 18 inches, but only about five fell locally as bitter cold temperatures plunged below zero
Times photo/Jessi Dreckman The Missouri Department of Transportation sheds in Gainesville and Dora had snow plows out over the weekend attempting to clear highways, but the bitter cold complicated the snow removal process.
No sled? No problem. Ozark County families are pretty inventive when it comes to making do with what’s available. That was proven over the weekend at the Eslinger house in Gainesville when Peyton and Tate were treated to a ride in a feed trough, pulled behind the four-wheeler by their dad, Mason.
Snow totals across Ozark County fell well short of early forecasts issued in the year’s first winter weather event last weekend, but the bitter cold that followed proved just as disruptive as predicted.
Snow arrived in two separate rounds, beginning Friday night and continuing into early Saturday with roughly an inch accumulating overnight. A second round moved in Saturday, falling off and on through the evening. Periods of sleet mixed in at times, likely leading to a lower total depth than if it had all fallen as snow.
Most Gainesville residents reported around five inches of total snowfall by Sunday night, while some outlying areas in the county saw a couple inches more. Forecasts earlier in the week had called for as much as 18 inches in Ozark County.
While snowfall totals disappointed snow lovers, the extreme cold that followed raised more serious concerns. Real temperatures dipped below zero during the early morning hours Monday, with wind chills plunging as low as minus 15 degrees.
The frigid conditions have complicated snow removal efforts in Ozark County and across the state. According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, traditional road salt becomes ineffective when pavement temperatures drop below 15 degrees. While salt can technically work at lower temperatures, it acts too slowly to be practical in single-digit conditions, making it nearly useless for de-icing during extreme cold snaps like Ozark County is experiencing.
The Ozark County Commissioners say that county road and bridge crews have been out working to remove snow from the approximately 700 miles of county roads inside Ozark County, but it has been slow going due to the bitter cold. As a result, many back roads in Ozark County remain snow-covered days after the storm.
All Ozark County schools were closed Monday and Tuesday, and with temperatures forecast to barely reach the freezing mark throughout the week, many residents are questioning whether classes will resume at all this week.
On a more positive note, it seems as if area residents headed warnings from officials and stayed off snow-covered roads throughout the weekend with few crashes reported in this week’s sheriff’s report (see page 7).
Instead, most of the reported crashes occurred last Wednesday when a light rain fell just before the morning commute. With temperatures above freezing, motorists were not anticipating the black ice and slick roadways they found. The sheriff’s report shows that there were at least 10 reported crashes and slide offs Wednesday morning, leading a 2.5 hour closure of Highway 160 at Spring Creek.