Freezing rain could cause havoc for commutes on Monday
Freezing rain expected to develop in the early morning hours Monday could affect work and school commutes, according to the National Weather Service in Lincoln.
A winter weather advisory is posted for the Springfield area and Sangamon County and extends into Logan, Cass, Menard, Scott, Morgan and Christian counties from 3 a.m. Monday to midnight Tuesday.
Icy conditions could especially develop on untreated road surfaces, sidewalks and parking lots, said NWS meteorologist Mike Albano, reached Sunday.
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While Monday's event doesn't have the look of a traditional ice storm, the frozen ground and even the rates of precipitation falling will be things to be attune to, Albano said.
"Our biggest concern is the onset, when temperatures are still near freezing (early Monday morning) and the precipitation rate is light," Albano said. "We find that ice secretion is most efficient when the precipitation is a little bit lighter, and the winds are a little lighter. As the precipitation rate starts to pick up and the temperatures are starting to warm throughout the afternoon (Monday), those two things together we think will start to mitigate the icing potential. We're actually expecting a little less impact in the afternoon hours."
For that morning commute, temperatures will be in the mid to upper 20s, so anything that falls before 10 or 11 a.m. Monday, Albano said. As temperatures steadily climb into the mid 30s, there will be a changeover to just rain and "the rainfall rate will be rapid enough where liquid is just going to run off and not really secrete," he added.
Albano said he is a little less concerned as far as infrastructure concerns, like power lines or tree branches.
Dave Fuchs, the director of the city's Office of Public Works, said road crews will be out on streets by 5 a.m. Monday spreading salt.
Fuchs added that the office has made provisions to keep crews on into the evening hours if the rain persists.
The weather has hampered Amtrak service between Chicago and St. Louis and back, which includes stops in Springfield, on Sunday and Monday. Some trains have been canceled entirely while in other cases Amtrak is supplying alternate transportation. Travelers should check with www.amtrak.com for full schedules.
See the latest road conditions for Illinois can at www.gettingaroundillinois.com.
This story will be updated.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Freezing rain could make travel hazardous around Springfield Monday
