A snow and ice mix that came to the area Monday afternoon made for some tough driving conditions for drivers across Northern Michigan.
Drivers in Big Rapids and the manager of Osceola County Road Commission Michael Mattzela says Monday afternoon’s storm brought the worse conditions they’ve seen this winter.
“Probably one of the worst storms that we’ve had in terms of visibility and the amount of snow we’re getting in a short amount of time,” Mattzela admits.
The weather brought slick roads and lead to semi-trucks and other vehicles to slide of the road. One student in Big Rapids concurs saying he almost got stuck driving out of the school’s parking lot on his way to work.
Conditions began to ease up around 3 p.m. Monday, but plows continued to clear roads throughout the evening. They say the conditions brought by the storm made it extra challenging.
“Just in terms of the amount of snow, it’s difficult to clear off,” Mattzela acknowledges. “We were experiencing some ice before the snow started so that makes it more difficult and we’re expecting as the storm tapers off this afternoon it’s going to be more ice on top of the snow.”
Osceola County have up to 16 plows on the roads and hope to have everything cleared off by Tuesday.
“We generally have one [plow] per township taking that snow off. We’re going to be out early in the morning and then we’re going to clear out the whole County [Tuesday],” Mattzela says.
