UPDATE: Drivers cautioned as early winter cold, snow moves across Indiana

December 06, 2010|WSBT-TV Report

The early winter blast of cold and snow that has hit Indiana caused scattered school delays across the state.

Temperatures dropped into single digits in much of central Indiana early Monday, while the National Weather Service issued a lake effect snow warning for several counties in the South Bend area.

Some rural school districts in northern Indiana and in the Lafayette area announced two-hour delays for Monday.

Elkhart County

Elkhart County was also battling the lake-effect snow. County highway crews were working overtime. They're responsible for dealing with over 11,000 miles of road, including 400 subdivisions.

Those crews have been on high alert since Sunday.

“We'll be out there applying abrasives, salt and plowing the streets and staying at

It 24/7,” said Jeff Taylor with the Elkhart County Highway Department. “The biggest share of our people are on during the day, 12 to 14 hours, and then at night we have a shift that runs about 12 to 14 hours as well.”

Like most area highway departments, Elkhart County is working around the clock.

St. Joseph County

Drivers should be careful on the bypass. There were multiple slide-offs and accidents, with the worst by Elm Road and 331. We haven't heard of any serious injuries, but at one point a St. Joseph County dispatcher said there were seven accidents.

Berrien county

Berrien County police were warning drivers to be carful on Old U.S. 31 just south of Berrien Springs.

South Bend

On Monday night as many as 60 trucks are on the street clearing snow in South Bend.

Since Friday, street department workers have been working round-the-clock shifts. And that'll continue until at least Wednesday.

They're going back and forth between main streets and side streets, but they say it's been challenging because of the high winds and drifting.

Your WSBT Stormtracker forecast from Abby Weppler:

Lake-effect snow continues today, heavy at times with low visibilities due to blowing and falling snow. High 27. Daytime accumulations 2" to 4" on average. Lake-effect snow continues tonight. Low 15. New accumulations 1"-3". Snow is likely to continue Tuesday morning then will begin to taper off. Accumulations Tuesday will still be another 1 to 3 inches. LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING
A lake effect snow warning is in effect until 6am Tuesday for Berrien and Cass counties in Michigan and LaPorte, St. Joseph, Marshall and Elkhart counties in Indiana. Winds will come from the north then northwest creating lake effect snow bands. This will also create low visibilities and travel problems for roads such as the Toll Road in Indiana and I94 in Berrien county. A lake effect snow advisory is in effect for Kosciusko and Lagrange counties in Indiana and St. Joseph county (MI) until 6am Tuesday.