Interstate 10 reopens after winter storm

2:45 p.m. update

Interstate 10 in North Florida has reopened, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The interstate from Tallahassee to Madison was closed earlier today because of the winter storm. FHP officials say they are not aware of any serious crashes because of the weather.

1:45 update

Interstate 10 west from Mahan Drive has been opened after most of the state highway was closed Wednesday morning during a winter ice storm.

Closures remain to the east to Live Oak, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Leon County Emergency Management Director Kevin Peters, said the Thomasville Road flyover was reopenned at about 1 p.m.

“We have sunny skies and temperatures above freezing so I’m not expecting any more closures,” Peters said.

Peters said the unusual storm, which dropped a light sprinkling of snow, sleet and freezing rain across the Big Bend, kept emergency officials busy.

“It kept us busy. It was a busy start to the New Year,” he said. “Ice and snow is not a normal thing in Southeast, especially in Tallahassee, so it forced us to come up with a new battle rhythm for the Emergency Operations Center.”

9:35 a.m. update

The Florida Highway Patrol has boosted its manpower on Interstate 10 after closing the road from Live Oak to Tallahassee during a blustery winter storm this morning.

Eastbound traffic has thinned significantly, said FHP Lt. Patrick Riordan, however, vehicles coming from the west are starting to back up just outside of Live Oak.

Vehicles are being diverted at exit 129 in Live Oak, just to the west of the Interstate 75 exchange. Riordan said motorists would be diverted to U.S. Highway 90 if they wish to continue west.

Most of I-10 cutting through the Big Bend was closed Thursday morning due to icy conditions. Interstate 75 remains open.

Riordan said troopers were being pulled from administrative positions onto the road to assist. Officials are monitoring weather conditions to determine when to reopen I-10.

“We’ve been watching the projections the last couple days and we're trying to do the best we can,” Riordan said. “We don’t want to keep the interstate closed down any longer than we absolutely have to.”

The following roads are closed in the Tallahassee area. Updates can be found at talgov.com

Interstate 10 is closed from Capital Circle Southwest through to Live Oak in Suwanee County due to ice on the roadway.

U.S. Highway 90 at the Lake Miccosukee Bridge is closed

U.S. Highway 27 at the St. Marks River Bridge is impassable

U.S. Highway 90 from the Jefferson County line into Leon County due to ice on the bridge.

The I-10 flyover at Thomasville Road is impassable. Emergency officials are recommending motorists stay off the roadways or use Hermitage Boulevard or Raymond Diehl Road as alternate routes.

9:12 a.m. update

The National Weather Service says wintry precipitation is tapering off in Tallahassee. But eastern parts of the Big Bend and North Florida are still seeing steady freezing rain, sleet and snow.

"Dangerous driving conditions persist," the Weather Service said in a 9 a.m. tweet.

More: Florida Gridlock Guide

8 a.m. update

Tallahassee was seeing a relatively rare mix of light snow, sleet and freezing rain this morning, making for potentially dangerous road conditions during the morning commute.

A large portion of Interstate 10 in North Florida — from Thomasville Road in Tallahassee to State Road 53 in Madison County — was shut down because of ice, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The flyover at Thomasville Road and U.S. Highway 90 east at Sunray Road near Lake Miccosukee also were closed.

One crash was reported this morning on the flyover in Tallahassee, said Kevin Peters, director of Leon County Emergency Management. Details were not available.

Peters said city and county crews spread sand on roads to mitigate the iciness. He urged drivers to be extra careful.

“We do advise travelers to use extreme caution out there today,” he said. “Anticipate stops you’re going to need to make. Be careful out there. It’s slippery. Take that extra time.”

Tallahassee and points east in North Florida and Georgia are under a winter storm warning. Ricardo Humphreys, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, said another band of precipitation is expected this morning before clearing begins.

"We're seeing some flurries," he said. "There's been freezing rain throughout the area, and that's been the main issue with road closures and whatnot."

It remains to be seen whether Tallahassee will actually get any measurable snowfall, something that hasn't happened since Dec. 22-23, 1989, when an inch fell.

"The last time we had measurable snow was 1989," Humphreys said. "That's pretty rare. "So we'll see after all this is done whether get got any measurable snow anywhere."

7:20 a.m. update

The Florida Highway Patrol is reporting Interstate 10 in Jefferson County, at the intersection with Highway 19 at exit 225, is being closed by the Florida Department of Transportation due to ice in the roadway.

DOT is spraying I-10 with a deicing solution.

Original story

The bulk of the freezing rain expected in the Tallahassee area fell before 6 a.m., leaving some accumulations of ice downtown and the possibility for snow in the coming hours.

Leon County officials announced at about 6:30 a.m. that the flyover at Interstate 10 and Thomasville Road was closed.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Jeanie McDermott said in the coming hours there could be a transition from freezing rain to sleet and a light snow in the capital city.

Cloud cover in the area has kept temperatures more mild than expected however they remain below freezing, she said. Ice accumulation on roadways is the major concern and with the light sprinkling that has fallen across the area is still a possibility.

“Ice is still very much an issue as long as the temperatures are below 32,” she said.

MORE

WeatherTiger: Icy uncertainty but North Florida winter storm is happening

In the coming hours, a transition from icy rain to the possibility of a light snow can be expected, McDermott added, but precipitation should move out of the area by 9 or 10 a.m. The areas of heavier rainfall are to the east, she said.

Weather officials predicted about an inch of snow to fall this morning coupled with less than an inch of freezing rain.

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