All caught up in winter

The conditions were bad enough to keep children from school but not bad enough to keep fishermen away from their trout.

Advance, Zalma and most of the schools districts in between were closed Thursday as Southeast Missouri experienced its first major snowfall of the year.

The snow -- most areas in the region reported 3 inches to 6 inches -- was heavy enough to close down the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority and to make Southeast Missouri State University open late. Officially, Cape Girardeau received 3.3 inches of snow, said Bob Reeves, weather forecaster for KFVS-TV.

While many children -- and some adults -- spent the day sledding or building snow families, the outdoorsmen grabbed their fishing rods and headed to the ice-covered, trout-stocked Rotary Lake at Jackson City Park.

Jackson's trout fishing program has been ongoing since November, but the catch-and-keep season didn't begin until Sunday when police had to chase away a few anglers who sat in lawn chairs atop the frozen lake.

On Thursday, a handful of enthusiasts braved the snow and nearly freezing rain to stand atop the lake dock and drop their lures into the water.

"Well, it's just the new thing, to have trout here in Jackson," said Gary King as he explained why he was fishing in the frigid conditions. "I fish a lot for bass and catfish. I think this is a wonderful thing."

King left soon after the rain started falling around 10 a.m. But he said he had to leave because he needed to drive his son to work, not because he was getting wet.

Just as the snow didn't keep King and other anglers from the lake, it didn't keep the traffic at bay, either. Temperatures climbed as the day progressed and road crews were able to clear most of the major roads before the morning's peak travel period.

"They're in pretty good shape," Cape Girardeau interim public works director Tim Gramling said late Thursday morning. "The main roads have been in pretty good shape since around 7 this morning or so."

Gramling said road crews were also busy keeping storm drains clear of snow and debris so the streets wouldn't flood with the rain and melting snow.

Stan Johnson of the Missouri Department of Transportation said roads in Southeast Missouri were wet but not icy.

However, he said motorists should still be careful this morning.

"Freeze-back is always a problem," Johnson said. "People can get confident and get into trouble. Yeah, it may have been clear when you went home, but some places might be slick when you go to work in the morning."

Several accidents were reported Thursday, including 11 in Cape Girardeau and four in Jackson.

The National Weather Service is forecasting a 30 percent chance of light snow tonight and another chance for light snow on Saturday. The high temperature today should be in the upper 30s.

bmiller@semissourian.com

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