COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Mother Nature turned Branch County into a gigantic skating rink on Wednesday morning as it was difficult to drive and walk.
There were about a dozen slide offs and property damage accidents reported in Branch County between 4:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Tuesday night due to the freezing rain and last weekend’s snowfall.
Nearly a half dozen accidents were reported by Branch County 911 on Wednesday morning between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m but there were no serious injuries.
The National Weather Service says while temperatures got above freezing across the area, the steady rain washed away salt and sand on treated roads in many spots.
This combined with cold road temperatures resulted in slushy and slippery conditions on many roads.
All Branch County schools shut down Wednesday. It was the second weather cancellation for Coldwater Community Schools. Days are not made up until a district has six cancellations.
Steuben County went to a level red warning which called for travel to be limited to emergency personnel only and that residents were to stay off the roads. The advisory was lifted at 10:30 a.m..
It’s been one thing after another with the weather in recent days. Before Wednesday’s icy conditions, there was snowfall of six to eight inches which was followed by bone chilling temperatures that reached a record low of 15 below on Monday morning.
