St. Joe County EMA issues advisory as road conditions remain hazardous amid winter storm

Update: Dec. 24, 2:55 p.m.:

The St. Joseph County Emergency Management Agency has issued the following advisory:

● Many roads are still limited travel due to drifting in wide open areas. This includes the western, eastern and southern parts of St. Joseph County.

● In the event you come across a road closed sign, turn around. It is there because the road is drifted, and you may get stuck or slide off if you proceed.

● St. Joseph County PSAP (911) reports many car accidents and slide offs due to black ice and snow. In the event you are involved in an accident, anticipate longer response times from public safety due to road conditions. Depending on the location, police officers are getting stuck attempting to reach these locations.

● Anticipate longer response times from towing companies as they are getting stuck themselves. Some towing companies will not go into areas that do not have clear access. Your car may have to be tagged and retrieved later.

● Check local media outlets if you plan to attend church services. Many are being canceled because of the weather conditions.

● The immediate hazard to life safety still exists due to the temperatures (10 degrees) sustained winds (19 mph) and wind gusts (34 mph).

● AEP is experiencing peak load demands on their grid system due to the cold and are asking customers to limit unnecessary electrical usage.

● Road crews are continuing to work to keep roads open.

Update: Dec. 24, 11:50 a.m.:

St. Joseph County is under a Red Travel Warning as road conditions have become even more dangerous from the arctic blast that has put much of the country under a deep freeze since Thursday afternoon. The winter storm, which has brought record freezing temperatures, also prompted AEP/Indiana Michigan Power on Saturday to ask customers to reduce electricity use as much as possible without sacrificing safety.

As part of the county's Red Travel Warning, which the Indiana Department of Homeland Security issued on Friday night, individual should:

● Refrain from all travel;

● Comply with necessary emergency measures;

● Cooperate with public officials and disaster services forces in executing emergency operations plans; and

● Obey and comply with the lawful directions of properly identified officers.

For more information visit: https://www.in.gov/dhs/traveladvisory/

AEP/Indiana Michigan Power recommends that customers reduce electricity use by:

• Setting your thermostat lower than usual, if health allows.

• Postponing use of major electric appliances such as stoves, dishwashers and clothes dryers.

• Turning off non-essential electric lights, equipment and appliances.

This request is in effect until 10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 25.

We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.

Dec. 23:

Blizzard conditions are hitting Michiana in full force as lake effect snow, high winds and dangerously low temperatures are expected to continue through Friday, prompting closings and travel warnings from officials.

Temperatures had not reached 0 degrees Friday morning, with the National Weather Service showing wind chills in the -20 to -25 range. Wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour also are on the docket, blowing up snow and causing hazardous road conditions and low visibility.

On Friday afternoon, the St. Joseph County Police Department announced the closure of a few thoroughfares in Granger: Bittersweet Road between Anderson and Douglas, Cleveland Road between Capital and Bittersweet and Douglas Road between Capital and Bittersweet. County police said decisions about reopening the roads would be made in the morning after the worst of the winds die down.

As of Friday morning, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security issued a travel watch for St. Joseph County that recommends only essential travel and encourages businesses to implement emergency plans. Officials had already announced that the County-City building in downtown was closed Friday. Other organizations, including the St. Joseph Health System, the St. Joseph County and Mishawaka-Penn-Harris library systems, and multiple school districts, also have announced closings.

The South Shore train line also has canceled all trains out of the South Bend International Airport.

"The roads, they’re bad to terrible depending on exactly where you’re at” said Sgt. Ted Bohner with the Indiana State Police.

The arctic system — dubbed Winter Storm Elliot — is affecting holiday travel around the country, with freezing temperatures moving from the Rocky Mountain states into the East Coast by the end of the weekend.

In South Bend, police responded to a eight crashes from Thursday night into midday Friday — about as many as occur with normal weather — though officials caution that roads remain very slick because of dropping temperatures and the fact that snow continues to blow onto roads that have already been plowed.

Al Kirsits, director of St. Joseph County's Emergency Management Agency, said dispatch calls are down, which indicates residents are mostly heeding officials' advice to stay off the roads. Police haven't yet encountered instances of motorists becoming stranded in slide-off crashes, but that remains a risk through Saturday, he said.

"People are heeding the advice, but I'd like to reiterate: It's dangerous out there. We just kind of want to get through until Christmas Day," Kirsits said.

Snowfall amounts over Thursday night are varied, with the NWS reporting most parts of Michiana getting between three and four inches. Projections still call for six to 10 inches for most of the South Bend area through Saturday morning and lake-effect snow is likely to continue intermittently into Saturday for residents north of US 6.

Local officials have said they plan to plow main roads first, making residential and minor roads more dangerous to traverse.

As of Friday morning, Indiana Michigan Power reported only a handful of customers without power.

“It’s going to get bad out there Thursday into Friday. If you don’t have to be somewhere, stay home," South Bend Director of Public Works Eric Horvath said this week.

Temperatures are projected to warm up slightly on Saturday, with wind chills in the -10 to -20 degree range.

Email Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@sbtinfo.com. Follow him on Twitter: @marek_mazurek

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: St. Joseph County sees frigid temps, high winds and travel warnings