District 186 cites icy conditions for e-learning; temps expected to warm
Slippery road conditions and inclement weather were still playing havoc with school and some businesses in the Springfield area Tuesday.
For a second straight day, Springfield Public Schools and the Ball-Chatham schools went to e-learning. Ball-Chatham announced its athletic and extracurricular events would go on Tuesday.
Other school districts implementing e-learning Tuesday included Taylorville, Mt. Olive, Mt. Pulaski, Greenview and Pawnee.
More: SJ-R's Leisa Richardson named executive editor of two South Carolina newspapers
Sangamon County roads were "open and passable" with some stretches that crews were still treating, said county engineer Brian Davis, reached Tuesday morning.
Crews spreading salt were back on the roads by 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, Davis said.
Sangamon County lifted its Level 1 winter weather emergency, which cautions motorists about hazardous roadways, late Tuesday morning. It was enacted Monday afternoon, and it applies only to county highways.
A District 186 Facebook post cited black ice on roads, sidewalks, and parking lots for the e-learning decision.
"Ensuring the safety and well-being of our students and staff is our utmost priority," a news release read.
Untreated roads and other surfaces remain slick throughout Springfield and central Illinois from the between a tenth and a quarter inch of ice that fell Monday, according to the National Weather Service in Lincoln.
The high temperature in the area Tuesday afternoon was expected to be near 40 degrees, according to the NWS.
That was "encouraging" to Davis and crews treating the county highway system, the main rural routes that connect communities.
"We are seeing the effects of the salt and obviously the temperatures are helping quite a bit, too," Davis added. "We had them in really good shape before we pulled off the roads (at 5:30 p.m. Monday)."
The Illinois Department of Transportation cautioned that while temperatures will warm above freezing Tuesday, some surfaces remain slippery.
The warmer air flowing over the frozen ground could cause periods of dense fog, particularly Tuesday night, with some stretches of visibility below a quarter of a mile.
NWS hydrologist Darrin Hansing said the Springfield area could also see some patchy fog during the day Tuesday.
With the rain contributing to the snow melt, Hansing said he's also expecting to see elevation in local creeks and streams, but "nothing rising to the concern of flooding."
On the Illinois River around Beardstown and Havana, there are forecasts of flooding later in the week, he added.
Chances of rain are in the area forecast through Thursday with high temperatures each day near the mid-40s.
Lincoln Land Community College's locations and Routt Catholic High School in Jacksonville delayed opening.
Rochester, Williamsville-Sherman, Jacksonville, New Berlin, North Mac, Lincoln, Jacksonville, and PORTA public schools closed Tuesday. Among private schools, Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, Springfield Catholic grade schools and Lutheran High School in Springfield, Calvary Academy, Camp Calvary, and Calvary Day Care also were closed.
At Springfield Clinic, bariatrics at the main campus remained telehealth only Tuesday. The 900 building pharmacy was closed and the radiation oncology at the HSHS Pavilion and Koke Mill location delayed opening.
Meanwhile, city of Springfield offices were open normal hours Tuesday. A City Water, Light & Power budget scheduled for the city council chambers at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday was still on.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Road conditions still playing havoc in Springfield
