PEMISCOT COUNTY, Mo. The dangers of driving continue to be a problem after a second round snow and rain swept through mid-south Tuesday. Mid-South Tuesday.
In just a few minutes of crossing I-55 north of Arkansas the impact of the ice storm that hit Tuesday morning’s I-55 traffic became apparent as a jackknifed 18-wheeler slowed vehicles at the Marion exit.
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— Jay Swingler (@JaySwingler) July 18, 2019
From the beginning to Blytheville there was no stopping and going when drivers were seen using extreme precautions. Wardell McKinney of Burdette said it’s the only method to go about driving in this type of weather.
“Keep it slow and keep it that way, just keep it that way. Don’t worry about the person behind you, focus on the person in front of you and go low,” McKinney said.
Within the Blytheville Walmart parking lot, utility workers from Ohio hired with Entergy Arkansas, were staging ready to roll out and aid if the second storm of sleet leads to more power outages.
Just across the state line between Missouri and Arkansas As conditions began to get worse and temperatures fell to low 20s southbound I-55 traffic was slowed down in search of an SUV that was veered off the highway.
We spoke with Micki Casey who is heading back for a visit to Central Florida after her visit to Springfield, Illinois. The journey returning to the Sunshine State has taken longer than anticipated.
“Oh, wow. Non-stop ice. We were forced to leave the interstate due to an accident and they directed us to the State road that hadn’t been plowed or salted. Then I drove 15 miles. My turn was to drive, and it was pure Ice,” Casey said.
A good thing is that the Mississippi River bridge on Interstate 155 between Caruthersville and the Tennessee State line reopened to east and westbound traffic on early Tuesday morning following its closure due to the icy conditions.
The next 24-hours be able to do is likely to cause more problems for travelers, but Charlene Varney from Waterloo, Iowa, said her and her husband will keep a cool head.
“We’re from Iowa so the weather doesn’t often surprise us However we’re doing a great job and are headed for Orange Beach,” Varney declared.
