Rain, sleet and a little snow mostly a nuisance

Widespread freezing rain, sleet and some snow in Southeast Missouri slowed travel, closed schools and government offices and caused some damage to trees and power lines during a winter storm that moved slowly through the region Thursday.

Precipitation caused a few weather-related accidents, including six throughout the day on Interstate 55 within the Cape Girardeau city limits but no major injuries were reported there, or in Jackson or Scott City. One lane of I-55 northbound was shut down at the Diversion Channel bridge after a crash occurred around noon.

Moderate to heavy sleet and freezing rain fell across Southeast Missouri much of the afternoon, but a warmer temperatures around 5 p.m. caused a changeover to rain by evening.

Cape Girardeau public works director Tim Gramling said the city's street crews weren't having much difficulty keeping the roads clear, but the weight of the accumulating ice on branches was disrupting some travel.

"We're out putting salt down, but they say for the most part the roads are in pretty good shape," he said Thursday afternoon. "They aren't slick or anything, but we have some slushy stuff here and there. For the most part it's just wet, and there's still some pretty good traction on most of the city streets, anyway. But we have seen a few trees down in the street, so that's kind of our big concern right now."

Helen Hutson, custodian of Southeast Missouri State University's University Center, spreads salt over the sidewalk near the entrance Thursday morning, Feb. 21, 2013. (Laura Simon)

By late afternoon, city crews had cleared four trees from roads, and emergency responders' scanner correspondence into the evening hours indicated power lines and some trees were falling, causing some traffic problems.

First responders work the scene of an accident in the northbound lane of I-55 on the Diversion Channel bridge Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. (Laura Simon)

National Weather Service reports indicated areas in Bollinger, Cape Girardeau and Scott counties received between one-quarter and one-half inches of ice buildup from freezing rain, while areas to the north and west saw a mix of snow, freezing rain and sleet.

The city of Cape Girardeau used liquid salt brine, which crews in a 16-truck fleet completed applying Wednesday evening, to treat streets. The city treats all roads in the city with the exception of Kingshighway, Highway 74 and Route K, which are the responsibility of the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Roads were slushy with sleet by late afternoon, but they were not frozen solid. Untreated sidewalks and elevated surfaces continued to be hazardous.

"So far we've seen some people come in for vehicle accidents, mainly fender benders," Saint Francis Medical Center spokeswoman Emily Sikes said Thursday afternoon. "There have been no [patients treated for] falls at this point. Really people just need to be safe, and watch what you're doing."

One person was injured soon after dark when an ice-laden tree branch fell on her on North Henderson Avenue between Independence and Themis streets. The person's name and condition were not available at the scene. Neighbors said they heard a loud noise as the branch fell, knocking down the woman as she attempted to enter her car. She was taken on a stretcher to a hospital.

A truck City of Cape Girardeau Public Works department spreads a layer of salt on Sprigg Street Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 20, 2013. The National Weather Service has placed Bollinger, Cape Girardeau and Perry Counties under a Winter Storm Warning until 9p.m. Thursday. (Laura Simon)

Ice accumulates on the branches of a tree on Broadway in Cape Girardeau as freezing rain continues to fall Thursday, Feb. 21. (Adam Vogler)

The woman's family said she was "knocked down" by smaller branches of the tree and did not believe her injuries were serious. The branch also blocked the roadway.

Cape Girardeau County emergency management director Dick Knaup on Thursday said the late afternoon and evening warmer temperatures were keeping roads slushy. He advised people not to travel if possible.

As of 9 p.m., about 1,000 Ameren Missouri customers without power in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. There also were sporadic reports of ice taking down lines feeding power into homes.

Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf said by midafternoon there had been only one weather-related accident in the county, when a beer delivery truck slid off the road south of Perryville, Mo. No one was injured.

He described the precipitation in Perry County around 2 p.m. Thursday as mostly snow.

"It's snowing more right now up here worse than it was when we had that blizzard awhile ago," Schaaf said. "The snowflakes are bigger than I've ever seen."

Widespread power outages from the storm were reported in Butler County near Neelyville, Mo., where a weather spotter reported electrical transformers exploding about 3 p.m. Outages also were reported in Wayne County, Mo.

Several school districts canceled classes early Thursday morning while others, including Scott City, Oran, Mo., and Chaffee, Mo., let out at midday.

Administrators in Jackson School District met early Thursday morning to evaluate the weather forecast and decided to give it a go until they determined later that the district's 60 buses on potentially icy roads posed a risk to students. The district let out at noon. Assistant superintendent Rita Fisher said bus drivers reported some slick county roads as they took students home.

Sleet falls around Southeast Missouri State University student Kristene Taylor as she walks across campus to Parker Hall for her next class Thursday morning, Feb. 21, 2013. (Laura Simon)

A pedestrian shields herself from the falling sleet as she crosses Normal Avenue Thursday morning, Feb. 21, 2013 on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. (Laura Simon)

Students in Cape Girardeau and Jackson schools will not have classes today because of parent-teacher conferences and teacher meetings.

Southeast Missouri State University closed its Perryville campus before the start of classes, and closed its main campus in Cape Girardeau at 3:15 p.m. Shuttle service also stopped at that time, and a nighttime performance of "Annie" at the River Campus was postponed. Ticket holders were asked to call the box office for alternate dates.

Cape Air's flights out of the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport were canceled because of the storm.

County government offices in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties closed early, and the city of Cape Girardeau offices closed at 3 p.m.

Temperatures stayed just below freezing most of the day. Most roadways did not ice over, although trees, bridges and other elevated surfaces were coated in ice.

Overnight lows were expected to stay near freezing, and sunshine and warmer temperatures today should help melt the remaining ice.

Managing editor Matt Sanders and staff writer Samantha Rinehart contributed to this report.

eragan@semissourian.com

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