MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Morgantown area appears to have avoided serious flooding and ice-related damages after intense winter storms over the Presidents’ Day weekend.
MECCA 911 Executive Director Jim Smith offered an update on WAJR’s Talk of the Town Monday, where he reported that no serious injuries were reported as first responders assisted just over a dozen motorists on Sunday and the morning of President’s Day Monday. This is despite a significant amount of rain that hit the area on Saturday and Sunday before a major temperature drop that led to icy road conditions around the area to start the week.
“It was Presidents’ Day, so a lot of people were home, which meant a lot of less traffic on the roads, I believe that helped keep things down,” said Smith.
According to the National Weather Service, just over an inch of rain fell in the Morgantown area on Sunday, with temperatures dropping over 30 degrees in a four-hour timespan during the afternoon. As a result, Smith reported that MECCA 911 responded to six vehicle-related accidents and assisted eight motorists who were either caught up in roads washed out by low-level flooding or spinouts on roads that got icy by the time temperatures hit below freezing late Sunday afternoon. Despite no injuries being reported, Smith advises motorists to use caution if you see a road covered in any level of water.
“We did have a lot of the ditches that were overflowing, so we had a lot of water still floating across the roads when the winds picked up and the temperatures fell,” said Smith on what led to the icy conditions that caused the accidents tended to by first responders.
Smith also added that MECCA 911 and Morgantown area first responders will remain all hands on deck as colder temperatures are expected to hit the area over the course of the week. Start of the week forecast for the area project temperatures to average at around the 20s until Friday with snow accumulation expected at around Wednesday. While snow accumulation is expected this week, as well as the leftover ice and snow that fell on Sunday, it is expected to impact roads for the rest of the week, but not expected to negatively influence flooding that affected parts of the Morgantown area.
“The river is high, a lot of the streams and creeks are high right now, but for the most part, they’ve stayed within their banks,” Smith said.
With temperatures expected to remain sharply cold for the rest of the week and snow expected to arrive sometime Wednesday morning, Smith and other emergency officials continue to urge caution if you’re driving on the roads Tuesday, Wednesday, and into Thursday. With winds still expected to hit the area at around 10-15 miles per hour, gusts could potentially increase, adding to the need for motorists to be careful of their vehicle, or someone else’s, slipping on major roadways. While the Morgantown area has avoided any major accidents or fatalities over the Presidents’ Day weekend, Smith still warns drivers to watch the roads and keep track of the weather as forecasts are updated.
“There is still a lot of ice on the roads, so just slow down, and everything will be a lot easier for you,” he said.