Post last updated at 11:31 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5:
Twenty-nine crashes, most with no injuries, were reported to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office early Wednesday morning after freezing drizzle hit Lawrence and northeastern Kansas, leaving roads slick.
Those are reports from around 5:30 to 11:30 a.m., according to a social media post from the agency. “One person did go to LMH Health after a crash occurred on U.S. Highway 40 near Big Springs,” according to the post.
Additionally, eastbound Kansas Highway 10 was closed between Haskell Avenue and East 1900 Road as of just before 9 a.m. Wednesday “due to several vehicles, including two semitrailers, that slipped in icy conditions and are blocking traffic,” according to DGSO. Westbound lanes remained open.
The eastbound section of the highway reopened around 11 a.m., according to an update from DGSO.
Freezing rain was expected to transition to regular rain around noon Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service in Topeka; however, as of a morning update, the weather advisory for freezing drizzle was extended to 3 p.m.
“Slow down and use caution while traveling. Prepare for possible power outages,” according to the NWS.
KanDrive, an app and website from the Kansas Department of Transportation, has info on road conditions statewide. (Read more about it at this link.) The app is available for download free on the App Store and Google Play. KanDrive is also available online at KanDrive.gov.
See links to severe weather resources below.
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Severe weather resources
Get warm in Lawrence:
• See this page for locations to get warm during the day and overnight, where to get help for pets and more.
National Weather Service local office (Topeka):
• Find the latest weather forecast info and severe weather advisories for the Lawrence area at this link.
• In the event of rapidly changing severe weather, such as tornadoes, the NWS posts frequent updates on Twitter, @NWSTopeka. You do not need a Twitter account to see tweets from NWS.
• NWS is also on Facebook, facebook.com/NWSTopeka.
• Call 785-234-2592 to hear the forecast.
City of Lawrence snow info:
• The city has snow information and a map at lawrenceks.org/snow that shows information about road conditions and where snowplows have been. The city typically begins snow and ice control for residential roadways when 2 or more inches of snowfall or icing occurs.
Douglas County Emergency Management:
• Follow @DgCoEM on Twitter or Douglas County, KS- Emergency Management on Facebook, facebook.com/dgcoem.
• Sign up to receive emergency alerts at dgcoks.org/emalerts.
• Find lots of tips on severe weather and other emergency preparedness on DgCoEM’s website at douglascountyks.org/emergency-management.
• Report storm damage (for non-emergencies only, and after storm danger has passed) by calling the nonemergency dispatch line at 785-843-0250 or 785-832-7509.
Evergy outages:
• Check the status of power outages on the Evergy outage map, outagemap.evergy.com.
• Report a power outage at evergy.com/report-outage, or call 800-544-4857.
• For down powerlines, call Evergy’s emergency line, 800-383-1183, if above-ground lines are arcing or making contact with trees or vegetation. Call 911 immediately if overhead power lines are on the ground or a fire starts. Do not go near the line.
Highway conditions beyond Lawrence:
• KanDrive, an app and website from the Kansas Department of Transportation, has info on highway conditions statewide. KanDrive is available online at KanDrive.gov, and its app is available for download free on the App Store and Google Play.
Air quality:
• Check the current air quality index in Lawrence and elsewhere through AirNow, airnow.gov.
This post is by the Lawrence Times news team.
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August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
