Nearing normal

Jay County was close to being back to normal, though a frigid normal, this morning.

But more snow may be on the way.

After more than a foot of snow resulted in a travel warning for the county that stretched from Monday night into Tuesday afternoon, Jay County Highway Department reported that as of this morning all county roads were open. The local travel status was reduced to an advisory.

Some roads were still limited to just one lane because of snow, said highway department superintendent Donnie Corn, noting that his department will be working to widen those areas today. (At one point, the highway department had several trucks not working properly, but most are now back up and running.)

The question now is whether additional snow will put the county right back into treacherous travel conditions. The National Weather Service forecast calls for a 30% chance of snow beginning after midnight tonight. Snow is expected Thursday afternoon with 1 to 3 inches of accumulation possible.

Corn expressed some concern about the upcoming forecast.

“If we get 1 inch of snow and any wind, we’ll be back to square one,” Corn said.

“Hopefully Mother Nature’s good to us and the wind isn’t that bad …”

Winds are expected to top out at 10 miles per hour.

Travel conditions began to deteriorate Monday morning with the county first calling a travel advisory. By 9:15 Monday evening a travel warning — the highest level of travel restriction — was in effect. The warning remained in place for 18 hours before being reduced to a watch. It was then downgraded to an advisory at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday. The advisory, which means travel may be restricted and drivers should use caution, remains in effect.

Blackford, Randolph, Delaware and Wells counties were also under travel advisories as of this morning. Adams County was on a travel watch. (Porter County in the northwest corner of the state was the only one in Indiana that was not at least under an advisory.) All restrictions for Mercer County were lifted Tuesday.

While the snow was being cleared away, frigid temperatures set in. After reaching a high of 19 degrees Tuesday afternoon, temperatures dropped to a low of negative-4 this morning with the wind chill approaching negative-10. That caused some local residents to have issues getting their vehicles started.

Portland Police Chief Josh Stephenson said residents should use “common sense” when going outside and wear enough layers of clothing. Prior to driving, check the car’s battery and fluid to help prevent it from shutting down, he added.

The sheriff’s office and police departments reported that there were no serious traffic accidents as a result of the snow.

Jay County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy Patrick Wells said he was grateful local residents took the warning seriously.

“We’ve been lucky this time around,” he said.

Instead of responding to collisions, Stephenson said officers helped Portland drivers who were stuck in their driveways or in the snow somewhere.

A resident’s truck did get stuck in a ditch, Corn recalled, but the driver had no injuries and there was no damage to the vehicle.

He thanked local residents for staying off the roads Tuesday. Usually, he explained, vehicles are stranded all over the roads. Tuesday, there were only about four or five.

“I mean, it’s been five or six years since we’ve had snowfall of this caliber, so the public definitely worked with us, that’s for sure,” Corn said.

Jay Schools were closed today for a third consecutive day while Fort Recovery Schools were in session on a two-hour delay. The winter storm also led to closures of many local businesses Tuesday.

Because of the inclement weather, the coronavirus vaccine clinic at Jay County Health Department was canceled Tuesday. (It was one of 70 that were closed statewide.) Those who had appointments were notified via text or email and provided instructions on how to reschedule.

Since they have not picked up trash this week, first because of the President’s Day holiday and then because of the excessive snow, Portland city employees will spend today picking up trash normally picked up on Mondays and Tuesdays. Trash normally picked up on Wednesdays will be picked up on Thursday. Thursday and Friday trash schedules will remain the same.