Winter storm makes Perry County roads slick

Rain and dropping temperatures began to take a toll on Perry County motorists by midafternoon and into the evening Tuesday, when authorities reported tree limbs down and slippery roads in the western half of the county.

By 7 p.m., a dispatcher at the Perry County Sheriff's Department said a handful of calls had come in about vehicles sliding off the road in the northern and eastern part of the county.

"It's definitely slick out there," the dispatcher said.

Early Tuesday, Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf said his deputies were reporting downed tree limbs and deteriorating roads near Yount and Parker Lake, Mo.

Tuesday night Citizens Electric Cooperative was reporting on its website that more than 100 customers were without power in Perry County. Most were near Parker Lake and Silver Lake, Mo.; less than 10 of the outages were near Brewer, Mo. Further north, the company was reporting nearly 90 outages.

Kelly Hooper, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said the county may get an inch of snow.

"It's just going to blow hard, that's the weather story. They'll see 20 to 30 miles per hour winds, with gusts up to 45," he said. "If it's not nailed down or frozen down, it's going to move."

In Cape Girardeau County, Hooper said, weather radars showed the rain would change over to a light snow.

"It'll be a dusting at best," he said. "And it'll be over by sunrise."

A wind advisory remains in effect in Perry and Cape Girardeau counties, and most likely will through this afternoon, according to Hooper. A winter weather advisory is also in effect in Perry County until 6 a.m. today.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop E, which covers much of Southeast Missouri, reported one accident Tuesday on its website.

Henry Leland, 56, of Fredericktown, Mo., suffered minor injuries when he traveled off the road eight miles northeast of Fredericktown and overturned his vehicle. The accident occurred around 8:30 a.m.