Lowell-The National Weather Service is predicting heavy snow today through Thursday and has declared a Winter Storm Warning for 27 northern and western Indiana counties.
Weather forecasts are predicting wind gusts up to 40 mph and potential snow squalls, especially across northern Indiana. Blowing snow reduces visibility and increases the chance for multi-vehicle crashes. The Indiana Department of Transportation have numerous trucks and their drivers out for this storm, working around the clock with alternating shifts of 12 hours or more.
The Indiana State Police highly recommends if you do not need to make a trip today, please stay home! If you must go out make sure you fully clear off your vehicle that includes front and rear windshields and side mirrors. Use your low-beam lights, fill your gas tank and charge your mobile phone. Have a vehicle emergency kit-non-perishable food, water bottles, blanket, shovel, snow scraper, flashlight and extra batteries, road salt, sand or kitty litter and booster cables.
Remember:
• Reduce your speed
• Increase your following distance
• Give yourself plenty of time
• Four wheel drive vehicles DO NOT stop any faster than anyone else
• If the left lane is not clear/cleaned stay out of that lane!
Please do not call your local, state or county police for road/weather updates. We will all be extremely busy with emergency calls and stranded/disabled motorists. Your local media outlets are your best source of weather/road information. For road information you can go to http://www.in.gov/indot/2420.htm or for automated road information call 1-800-261-ROAD (7623). You can also go to http://in.gov/dhs/traveladvisory or the Indiana Travel Advisory app for iPhone or Android for counties posting travel advisories.
Lieutenant Terry Gose, Commander of the ISP Lowell Post stated, “We will have all available troopers out working today. Please keep our emergency personnel in mind if you’re traveling today that means for motorists to approach cautiously when they see an emergency vehicle stopped with its emergency lights on. Change lanes away from the emergency vehicle if you can do so safely. If not, reduce your speed 10 mph and proceed with caution. DO NOT stop in the roadway, this may cause a chain reaction rear end crash with other vehicles. Emergency vehicles may include police, ambulances, fire and rescue, highway vehicles (Hoosier Helper and maintenance), utility service vehicles and tow trucks”.
DO MOVE OVER and/or SLOW DOWN!
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