[ad_1]
Temperatures climbed to just above zero on Friday morning in parts of central Missouri, starting to melt ice from roads and trees.
However, power outages caused by trees and power lines driven by an ice sheet persisted.
Co-Mo Electric Cooperative reported approximately 1,300 of its customers without power shortly before noon. Some of the co-op’s largest individual outages have occurred in Cooper and Moniteau counties.
Boone Electric Cooperative reported that about 120 of its members were without power due to outages spread across the county.
Ameren Missouri reported mostly small blackouts scattered around the area just before noon. These outages included one at Moberly affecting approximately 470 customers.
The Howard Electric Cooperative reported that more than 400 of its members were without power. More than 600 members of the Randolph County Co-op were without power.
Watch a 10am forecast update in the player below.
Highway patrol reports dozens of crashes, stranded drivers
Soldiers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol in Mid-Missouri have helped dozens of stranded and crashed motorists since midnight.
The agency’s Troop F, which covers much of the region, said on Friday morning its soldiers were dispatched in 26 crashes and 13 calls from drivers stranded since midnight as a winter storm blanketed the roads with ice. of the region.
Ice also blocked an ambulance on Silvey Drive in western Colombia as it attempted to climb a steep hill. No patient was on board.
Roads were starting to show some improvement just after 10 a.m. as temperatures in some spots rose above freezing. According to the Missouri Department of Transportation’s online travelers map, parts of Interstate 70 and Highway 63 in central Missouri have gone from partially covered to mostly light or clear.
Another wave of winter precipitation is expected to hit the region on Friday afternoon, followed by lower temperatures.
National highways remain smooth, according to MoDOT
State highways around Mid-Missouri remained partially covered in ice as of 8 a.m. Friday.
The Missouri Department of Transportation posted a road condition update on its social media accounts indicating that many roads in the area are mostly covered and asking drivers to watch out for low tree branches and road signs. power lines dragged by ice.
The agency later reported that Route 54 had been reopened in Fulton.
The MoDOT’s online traveler information map showed several roads in the area in poor condition, with ice partially covering Interstate 70 and highways 63 and 54 through Mid-Missouri.
The agency continued to warn of delays on Route T in Macon County, just north of Randolph County, due to an uprooted tree on the road.
Temperatures have started to rise to just above freezing in parts of the region, but are not expected to rise much throughout the day. More winter precipitation is expected.
Ice on tree branches and power lines continued to contribute to power outages, and Columbia Water and Light reported outages that affected more than 200 customers along Stadium Boulevard and in parts of southern Colombia. Ameren Missouri has reported outages scattered throughout the area, including 250 customers in the Ashland area.
The city of Columbia said a new plow crew showed up at 7 a.m. to continue work on the roads.
Crews block Highway 54 West in Fulton for utility work
The Missouri Department of Transportation said crews blocked the westbound lanes of Highway 54 in Fulton due to power lines crossing the roadway.
Crews said a detour was in place for people driving in the area.
The MoDOT Traveler card said the highway could be closed for up to four hours. He understood that the eastbound lanes were not affected.
Driving conditions worsen, more power outages reported in central Missouri
Mid-Missouri officials say driving conditions have deteriorated and more power outages were reported on New Years Day as freezing rain continues to fall.
A tweet from MoDOT said the majority of roads in central Missouri are partially or almost covered as freezing rain continues to fall in the area. Crews said the wintry weather creates dangerous driving conditions.
Separately, the Missouri Association of Electric Cooperatives outage map said more than 8,500 electric customers across the state had no power at 6 a.m.
The map shows that a dozen electrical co-ops in Mid-Missouri were reporting blackouts – affecting 779 customers in Cooper County, 447 in Pettis County, 623 in Benton County, 1329 in Morgan County, 209 in Camden County, 261 in Miller County, 340 in Maries County.
Multiple outages affecting less than 100 customers were also reported in Cole, Boone, Callaway, Osage, Moniteau and Randolph counties.
An ABC 17 day Stormtrack weather alert is in effect for winter weather on New Years Day.
Crews report broken power lines in western British Columbia, multiple blackouts
Boone County emergency teams reported that downed power lines partially covered a road in western Colombia on Friday morning.
A tweet from Boone County Joint Communications said the downed lines were reported in College Park, just north of Stadium Boulevard.
Columbia Water and Light’s outage map showed that 426 electrical customers around that area were without power.
At least 10 breakdowns have been reported between Stadium Boulevard and Interstate 70.
The card included 366 customers near the Columbia Mall were also without power on Friday morning. That’s down from 1299 with no light when the outage was first reported at 4:12 a.m.
It was not immediately clear whether freezing rain played a role in the multiple outages.
Over 1,700 electric co-op customers without power in Mid-Missouri
According to data from the Electric Cooperative Online, more than 1,700 customers were without power by early Friday morning.
The Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives’ online outage map indicates that customers in Morgan and Miller counties are affected by the outages.
According to the outage map, 1,129 Co-Mo Electric Co-op customers in Morgan County, 406 Gasconade Electric Cooperative customers in Miller County, and 192 Three Rivers Electric Co-op also in Miller County were in. black.
Smaller outages affecting fewer than 10 customers each have also been reported in Boone, Cole and Monroe counties.
It is not known if the winter conditions in the region caused the blackouts. Freezing rain has fallen in the area since Thursday evening.
The crews fight on Sharon Lane
Boone County fire crews were called in to a structural fire in the 6000 block of Sharon Lane early in the New Year.
The firefighters intervened around 12:30 p.m. on the scene to find a hangar on fire. The owner of the shed spoke with an ABC 17 News crew and said he believed a wood stove caused the fire.
Crews struggled to tap into a nearby fire hydrant because of the ice that formed overnight.
Firefighters said the damage from the fire and smoke was mostly contained in the hangar, but some siding from a neighboring house had melted as well. The hangar smoked for more than two hours after crews arrived at the scene.
No one was injured in the blaze, firefighters said.
Icy roads, accidents ring in the new year
ORIGINAL: Freezing rain is causing dangerous road conditions in central Missouri for the start of 2021.
Several agencies, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop F and Boone County Joint Communications, are warning against driving.
Boone County emergency crews reported at least six accidents after midnight, including two on Interstate 70 and two on Highway 63.
An accident led to the closure of the south side of Rangeline Street shortly before 1:30 a.m.
Shortly after 1:30 a.m., Cole County emergency crews radioed that the two westbound lanes of Highway 50 were closed near Big Horn Drive due to an accident.
ABC 17 News does not generally report radio traffic without confirmation from the response agency, however, the emergency responder said “be careful to listen to all media.”
App Breaking News Alert Bar / Boone / Email Alert – Breaking News / Fire / News / Top Stories / Transport / Winter weather
[ad_2]
Source link