The Illinois Department of Transportation is reporting roads throughout the state covered with ice or snow. I-57 through South Central Illinois is mostly covered, while some sections of the road in deep Southern Illinois and in the Mattoon area are mostly covered with snow and ice. I-64 and 70 are reported as mostly covered with ice and snow across the state.
State and US Highways across South Central Illinois are mostly covered with ice or snow but are open. City streets in Salem and Centralia are reported as snow-covered. Both cities have their snow route ordinances in effect which prohibits parking on designated snow routes to help with snow clearing activity.
Some east-west rural roads in Marion County are reporting some drifting problems. At last report, Tonti Road between Charleston and Kinmundy Road and Red Stripe Road east of U.S. 51 at Sandoval had areas of drifting with a few vehicles getting stuck on Tonti Road.
Odin Township Highway Commissioner reports Cemetary Road from Norton to Farthing closed due to drifting.
Washington County Highway Department is reporting that County Highways 1 and 6, also known as the Township Line Road, are drifting and you are asked not to travel them due to the potential of getting stuck.
Conditions are expected to deteriorate late in the day on Monday with five to nine inches of snow expected before the system moves out Monday night. There is a Winter Storm Warning and Wind Chill Advisory in effect. Wind chill values could reach 20 below zero causing the potential for frostbite and hypothermia.
The Salem Water Plant recorded 4.5-inches of new snow that melted down to 15-hundredths of an inch of water. The Centralia Water Plant recorded two inches of new snow on the ground also melting down to 15-hundredths of an inch of water.
The temperature dropped down to 0 Sunday morning, setting a new record low for Sunday. The old record was four above zero. The record low for Monday is six below zero set in 1986. The high-temperature Sunday peaked at 12 degrees.
Monday is President’s Day so most government offices and schools were already scheduled to be closed. Garbage pickup is supposed to be on the regular schedule in both Salem and Centralia this week, but the weather could cause some delays.
