Red Oak is snowed in

MONTGOMERY COUNTY – The largest storm this winter dumped about nine inches of snow on Montgomery County while leaving behind frigid cold temperatures.

As of early Friday morning, forecasters were only calling for about an inch of snow in addition to a large amount of rain.

However, the heavy snow that was expected to hit Missouri shifted north and the rain switched to the white stuff Saturday afternoon.

By Sunday morning, most of the nine inches of the white, slushy snow had fallen, accumulating not only on the roads but trees as well.

Under the weight of the snow, several tree limbs broke, causing minor damage to a few homes and fences while also causing sporadic power outages throughout southwest Iowa.

Before the storm hit, Red Oak issued a snow emergency effective from midnight Saturday through Monday morning to allow crews to clear the streets.

Red Oak Police Chief Drue Powers estimated about 80 tickets were issued for cars that hadn’t been moved. While that may sound like a large number, Powers said typically the first snow emergency of the year averages more than 100 tickets being issued.

City ordinances prohibit parking on north-south streets on odd days and east-west streets or circle streets on even days.

Heavy winds accompanied the wet and heavy snow, with gusts recorded as high as 40 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.

Once the snow moved out, sub zero temperatures remained.

The National Weather Service reported the coldest temperature of -11 degrees was recorded in Red Oak at 8:15 a.m. Monday. With sunny skies, though, the mercury quickly climbed above zero.

A combination of the snow and cold temperatures resulted in schools closing throughout the county Monday.

As for the remainder of the week, the forecast only calls for a 50 percent chance of snow on Wednesday.

Cold temperatures are expected to remain though with daytime highs ranging from 20-30 degrees and overnight lows dropping to -8 Wednesday night.