Icy roads cause morning accidents

Slick roads with patches of black ice caused six vehicle crashes Friday morning in Cape Girardeau, but by 3 p.m. public works crews had headed home, satisfied conditions had cleared.

"We're keeping our eye to the sky as to what may or may not happen this weekend. Crews are on call," said Steve Cook, Cape Girardeau's assistant public works director.

Temperatures are expected to reach at least 40 degrees today, but there is a 30 percent chance of rain and snow tonight. The National Weather Service is predicting a high of 46 degrees Sunday.

Friday's weather was not nearly as severe as Thursday's, which caused 22 accidents in Cape Girardeau. However, Perryville Road and Kingshighway were especially icy Friday morning, Cape Girardeau Police Department Sgt. Kevin Orr said. A salt truck overturned on Perryville Road, but no one was seriously injured in that accident or the other five, Orr said around 2:30 p.m.

Sgt. Dale Moreland of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said icy roads caused more people to slide off the road into ditches than it caused car accidents. "We had 12 vehicles off at one time in Cape County midmorning," he said, adding that there were no injuries.

The city was hit Thursday with 1.18 inches of precipitation, mostly in the form of freezing rain or sleet. Only about 0.12 inches had accumulated Friday by 3 p.m., according to Ryan Presley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky.

In comparison, last week's storms brought 1.9 inches of precipitation total, stretching from Monday afternoon into Tuesday.

"It has not been as bad on our trees and power lines this time around, and that is a blessing," said Rodney Bollinger, Jackson's director of public works. Jackson crews started cindering roads at 6 a.m. Friday, and by afternoon were focusing on areas around the high school because of a basketball tournament scheduled there.

Presley attributed the lack of ice accumulation on the electric lines to temperatures being a couple of degrees higher than last week and less precipitation falling.

Cape Girardeau has already received six inches of precipitation this month, three and a half inches more than normal.

On Friday, most Southeast Missouri students received their seventh snow day in the past two weeks. Jackson students are scheduled to make up three of the days March 26 to 28, during their tentative spring break.

Pat Fanger, interim superintendent of Cape Girardeau schools, said last week and again Wednesday that she does not know how the bad weather days will affect the district. The district's calendar calls for days to be added on at the end of the year.

"There have not been any decisions. I don't know if the state will grant any forgiveness days," she said.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123