Kosciusko Among 29 Counties Under 'Disaster Emergency'
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David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
Kosciusko, Fulton, Wabash and Whitley counties were four of the 29 counties for which Indiana Gov. Mike Pence declared a “state of disaster emergency” for Monday. According to Amos Dodson, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Syracuse, since Saturday at the NWS office the total snowfall for the event is 14.6 inches. He said there is a chance for light snow Wednesday and Thursday, but the accumulation will be minimal, at 1 inch or less. The last time Kosciusko got similar amounts, he said, was on March 5, 2013, when the county had 11.9 inches of snow. “It melted pretty fast. Temperatures later that week climbed to the 50s,” he said. At about 9:40 a.m. today, Dodson said the temperature was -9 degrees in Warsaw. It had dropped to -13 degrees overnight. The wind chill was around -30 to -35 degrees. “It’s going to be a little warmer today. A high around 0 degrees,” he said. The highest wind speeds recorded for Warsaw, he added, was a gust of 21 mph, with the lowest wind chill in Warsaw recorded at -41 Monday morning. Asked about any historical significance of this weather, Dodson said for Fort Wayne the forecast was for a high of 0 degrees today. There has only been 10 times in recorded history where Fort Wayne’s temperature didn’t get above 0 degrees for the day. With all the snow and cold temperatures, Kosciusko County Commissioners signed a Level III Local Disaster Emergency Declaration early Monday morning, with all the surrounding counties having done so by Sunday night. Kosciusko’s declaration is in effect until it’s changed or after seven days, whichever comes first. Via email this morning, Emergency Management Director Ed Rock said all Kosciusko County government offices and the Kosciusko/Cardinal Services Clinic were closed again today. The City of Warsaw also was closed again today. All area schools were closed, with Warsaw Schools resuming classes for students on Thursday. Staff records day was postponed to Wednesday. Classes were cancelled today for Ivy Tech; Trine University; and Manchester University, both Fort Wayne and North Manchester campuses. The Indiana Department of Transportation advised motorists that travel conditions today are expected to remain difficult, and they should abide by local travel advisories, avoiding travel if possible. All counties in Northeast Indiana remain under a “Watch” or “Warning” status, according to INDOT, limiting travel to essential or emergency purposes. To see an updated map of county travel advisories provided by each county’s emergency management agency, go to http://www.in.gov/dhs/traveladvisory For winter driving safety tips, go to www.winterdrivingsafety.in.gov
