Storm makes for tough travel
Over the river and through the woods took on a whole new meaning last Wednesday with at least six roll-over traffic accidents among the 18 reported in Stillwater County due to sudden wintry conditions coupled with driver error.
The chaos began at 4:56 a.m. when a semi on I-90 reportedly passed -- and inadvertently tapped -- a passenger car, sending the car into the guard rail. The first roll-over occurred at 6:53 a.m. in the eastbound lane of I-90 that did not result in any injuries, according to Stillwater County Sheriff’s Office dispatch records.
At 7:07 a.m. a vehicle slid off Highway 78 and was then hit by a school bus that slid off in the same area. The first injury crash was a roll-over on I-90 involving a van that was transporting blood and other pharmaceutical products. That driver was taken to the Stillwater Billings Clinic. A second injury roll-over occurred at 10:53 a.m. on I-90 in which two people were injured and taken to the hospital, according to dispatch records. A third injury roll-over occurred at 2:19 p.m. on I-90 in which a woman in a Ford truck suffered a possible broken arm. (See a list of all the accidents on page 5).
Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Chan Barry offered the following tips for driving in winter conditions:
•Make sure that you have proper tires on your vehicle. Winter/snow tires are best for driving on snow and especially ice. Consider replacing your tires if they have a tread depth of less than 5/32-inch for driving in snow.
•Slow down! Braking distances are much longer on slick surfaces so increase your following distance to eight to 10 seconds.
•Do not use your cruise control on anything other than dry roads.
“I have often investigated crashes where the driver admitted to using their cruise control while driving on snow or ice,” said Barry.
•Look far ahead of your vehicle and if you see an area ahead of you that may be icy, take your foot off the accelerator or turn off your cruise control. It is also a good idea to avoid using your cruise control at night. You can’t see far enough ahead of your vehicle to determine if there may be icy roads ahead.
•Check the weather. If you do have to travel in poor weather conditions, plan ahead and factor in that your trip will take longer.
“If you don’t have to drive and the weather is bad, you can’t get in a crash if your car is parked at your home,” said Barry.
The Montana Department of Transportation has traveler information at www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo as does the Montana Highway Patrol website at dojmt.gov/highwaypatrol/. There is a button on the site labeled “Traffic Incidents.”
November Snowfall
Columbus saw 8.9 inches of snowfall during November, which was up from the normal amount of 3.8 inches, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Of that total, 5.6 inches fell on Nov. 25 and Nov. 26 while another 4.3 inches fell on Nov. 20 and 21.
It was also slightly colder than normal, with the average daily temperature hitting 30.9 degrees (33.8 degrees is normal), the daily average low hitting 16.5 degrees (20.3 degrees is normal) and the average daily high registering 45.2 degrees (47.3 is normal), according to the NWS.
Mystic Lake saw similar numbers in November, with 27 inches of total snowfall, compared to the average amount of 20.1 inches. The average daily temperature was 29.7 degrees (colder than the average of 33 degrees), the average daily low being 23 degrees (normal is 25.3 degrees) and the average daily high hitting 36.4 degrees (normal is 40.8 degrees).
Rapelje followed suit. November’s snowfall totaled 4.3 inches, compared to the average amount of 7.3 inches.
The average daily temperature was 32.3 degrees (normal is 34.6), the average daily low was 20.1 degree (normal is 23) and the average daily high was 44.4 degrees (normal is 46.2), according to the NWS.