UPDATE: Officials warn of hazardous travel through at least 6 p.m. Tuesday

Feb. 16—Wabash Valley residents were urged to stay home if at all possible Monday and Tuesday as a major winter snow storm that brought wind gusts, drifting snow and poor visibility made driving treacherous in many areas.

Late Monday night the Vigo County Commissioners issued a travel warning effective immediately.

The Warning is the highest level of local travel advisory, means that travel may be restricted to emergency management workers only. During a "warning" local travel advisory, individuals are directed to:

(A) refrain from all travel;

(B) comply with necessary emergency measures;

(C) cooperate with public officials and disaster services forces in executing emergency operations plans; and

(D) obey and comply with the lawful directions of properly identified officers.

The weather prompted several cancellations and closings. Both the Vigo and Sullivan county courthouses will be closed Tuesday, as will Vigo County government offices. In addition, several Wabash Valley school districts — including the Vigo County School Corp. — will use eLearning Tuesday.

According to the National Weather Service, the winter storm warning will continue through 7 a.m. Tuesday, with additional snow accumulations of 5 to 8 inches in areas including west-central Indiana.

"Travel could be very difficult. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility," according to the National Weather Service. "Sustained wind speeds this evening and tonight are expected to be between 15 to 20 mph with occasional gusts to 30 mph creating periods of lower visibilities and blowing/drifting snow. Heaviest snow [is] expected through 10 p.m."

"The issue with us is drifting snow," said Vigo County Commissioner Brendan Kearns, who was driving on Rio Grande Road in the northern part of the county early Monday evening to survey road conditions. Roads are getting cleared but then the wind blows it back, he said.

His advice to motorists? "Now is not the time to go joyriding."

Several people "almost hit me head on," Kearns said, which he attributed to poor visibility and people not sure where the road was. Those who must drive "should just go slow and take it easy." He was aware of several slide-offs.

"Right now, Mother Nature is definitely winning," Kearns said.

According to EMA, the first wave of snow led to snow-covered and slippery roads. The second wave Monday afternoon was "more impactful," with moderate to heavy snow reducing visibility and blowing/drifting snow making travel difficult.

Heading into Tuesday, wind gusts of 20 to 30 miles per hour were expected to continue to cause blowing and drifting of snow, hampering snow clearing efforts. "Roads will be hazardous with some roads being impassable," EMA stated.

In addition to scheduled eLearning Tuesday, the Vigo County School Corp. canceled all practices, contests, and school activities on Monday evening due to the weather. All schools were already shut down for the Presidents Day holiday.

With all Vigo County government offices closed, the Sears COVID-19 vaccination site also will be closed Tuesday, according to the Vigo County Health Department. Health department staff will contact those individuals with appointments to reschedule them for Thursday or Friday.

Meanwhile, Indiana State University encouraged all employees capable of working remotely to do so Tuesday. "That includes faculty with scheduled classes," the university stated. "Those who cannot work remotely should report to work as usual. As weather conditions change, updates will be provided."

The weather also prompted Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College to close Tuesday. Classes will not be in session physically or virtually, and staff offices will be closed. Dining services will be open for students.

Earlier Monday, Kearns said the Vigo County Highway Department "had a strategic meeting by Zoom [Sunday night] to figure out what the plan of attack was, based on the weather forecast ... The guys started around 3 a.m., but we're going to be working around the clock to make sure the roads are as safe as possible."

Drivers planned to work 12-hour shifts, focusing on primary roads, then secondary.

The county purchased several new snow plow trucks last year, which has helped with clearing the roads, he said. "They've made a huge difference."

To check on road conditions, Kearns says he goes out and travels the east side of the county from north to south, including Miami Gardens Road, Tabertown, Frye and Louisville roads.

"That gives me a good idea of how the primary roads are," he said. "I provide feedback to our superintendent and supervisors. Then, I'll also hit secondary roads as much as possible. And then, I look at subdivisions."

The county is trying to reduce the amount of salt it puts down for environmental reasons; it used a ratio of three parts sand and one part calcium. "We had a problem with it being so cold, the mixture was freezing in the hoppers of our trucks, so we had to increase the ratio slightly [with more calcium] to prevent the freezing from occurring."

Kearns asked the public to be aware of county highway drivers clearing the roads. "It's hard for the plows to navigate safely when there could be a car coming at them taking up the middle of the road. Yield to our guys. They are in a high-stress position and they're doing what they can to keep the roads safe for us," he said.

The Indiana Department of Transportation has deployed more than 1,100 plow trucks to plow and treat interstates, highways and state roads as nearly all of Indiana is expected to receive significant snow accumulation from a major winter storm.

INDOT crews began patrolling highways by 8 p.m. Sunday and will remain active through the winter storm. Plow trucks generally travel about 25 to 30 miles per hour and it takes between two to three hours to complete a snow route.

INDOT announced it has 200,000 tons of salt, 100,000 gallons of brine and more than 1,800 employees on call covering 28,000 lane miles.

Motorists are encouraged to keep an emergency kit in vehicles in case of being stranded, and to keep a cell phone charged to call for help.

Travel advisories, watches and warnings are issued by county emergency management agencies. To check the travel status in a given county, visit in.gov/dhs/traveladvisory.

The latest winter driving conditions, traffic cameras, travel speeds and more are available at indot.carsprogram.org.