Winter storm blankets county | Journal review

Hayley Jarman | [email protected]

A winter storm watch issued by the National Weather Service Sunday morning warned of significant snowfall and hazardous conditions expected through Monday evening. The advisory predicted up to six inches of snow or more, prompting several businesses to close early Sunday afternoon and remain closed through Monday.

County and city offices were closed Monday, including the courthouse. County commissioners also rescheduled their regularly scheduled Monday meeting for Wednesday at 8:00 a.m.

The South Montgomery School District was supposed to return to in-person classes Monday, but switched to an e-learning day because of the severe weather. Students in the Crawfordsville and North districts were expected back in class today.

In response to the storm, the Waynetown Fire Department offered a warming station for local, county and state police as well as highway workers and contractors Sunday. The Recovery Rec Center also made its facilities available as a warming station for the duration of the storm warning.

Sunday evening, Montgomery County Commissioners declared a Travel Advisory Watch, warning the public that conditions could threaten safety. The advisory recommended only essential travel, such as trips to and from work or in emergencies, and encouraged organizations, including schools and businesses, to implement emergency action plans.

Montgomery County Sheriff Ryan Needham reported that snow accumulation in the southern part of the county was particularly heavy, with blowing snow making some roads challenging to navigate.

“We definitely got more snow south of town and some of those roads are complicated with operations,” Needham said. “County Highway has done a fantastic job of trying to keep them roadworthy.”

As of Sunday night, Needham’s department had responded to 13 crashes since mid-morning. Despite the weather, traffic remained light, with few incidents reported Monday morning.

Crawfordsville Police Chief Aaron Mattinglys said the department had only responded to two traffic incidents Monday morning.

“Drivers are using caution and taking their time, which is great,” Mattingly said. “The roads are improving quickly. Colder temperatures moving in and gusty winds are the concern now, so drifting will be an issue.”

Jessica Burget, director of Montgomery County Emergency Management & Homeland Security, said preparations for the storm began several days before it hit.

“Our office opened our Emergency Operations Center and worked throughout the evening and night to coordinate counseling to ensure the safety of the community,” Burget said.

EMA collaborated with county commissioners, the sheriff’s office, the highway department, the Central Communications Center, the National Weather Service and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

“These collaborative efforts always make things run more smoothly in events,” Burget said.

She also said during the snowfall, no power outages or damage were reported.