Mills County survives winter ice storm

It turns out the Great Winter Ice Storm of 2017 didn’t pack the punch some forecasters had predicted.

The slow-moving storm made its way through the Central Plains Sunday and Monday, but didn’t create the problems many had feared. 

Rain, drizzle and cold temperatures blanketed the region for more than 24 hours from Sunday afternoon into Monday evening, but  only a handful of ice-related incidents  were reported in Mills County.

“It was pretty quiet. The accident rate was low,” Mills County Emergency Management Director Larry Hurst said Tuesday. “A couple of vehicles slid off the road on Sunday and two county salt trucks had some issues. I think the warmer temperatures helped and we didn’t get the winds they were forecasting.”

Weather forecasters began predicting the storm early last week. By Saturday, as the storm was making its way up from Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, many Mills County residents had stocked up on groceries and “ice melt.” Some shelves at local grocery stores were looking bare by Saturday night. Concern about the storm did result in several school and business closures Monday and Tuesday in southwest Iowa.