Undersheriff Jerry Daniels passed out kudos to Allen Countians for avoiding driving Thursday when snow and sleet made road conditions hazardous.
“The motoring public was very cooperative,” Daniels said.
He and other Allen County officers were on patrol from early Thursday on throughout the day, providing a safety net for anyone who might have been out and had problems.
“There were some slide-offs and a few vehicles got stuck, but by and large we didn’t have many problems on county roads,” said Sheriff Bryan Murphy. “Bill King’s (public works) crews and the state got out early and hard-surfaced roads were passable most of the day.
“Gravel roads were a little iffy in places because of drifts, but they were in pretty good shape by late in the day,” he added.
Murphy said snow fell in lesser amounts in the south third of the county, mainly south of K-224.
In Iola, city crews began clearing thoroughfares soon after snow began to fall and by mid-day Friday downtown streets and those known to carry much traffic were free of snow.
“We didn’t have problems of any consequence in the city,” said Cory Schinstock, assistant city administrator. “A few cars slid off streets and some got stuck, but we didn’t have any serious accidents.
“Probably the main concern was the trash truck slid into a ditch when it was going around a corner,” he said. “We got it out and back on its route, though.”
Warmer temperatures today and Sunday will melt snow on residential streets, but with overnight lows well below freezing that could lead to complications during morning hours after melted snow turns to ice, prompting authorities to caution motorists to drive with care.
Another storm, slipping in from the northwest, is expected to bring additional snow turning to rain by mid-day to southeast Kansas on Monday. After that daytime temperatures are forecast for the 40s the remainder of the week.
Motorists cooperate
