Brunt of storm misses most of Putnam County

Although driving conditions were a bit tricky locally and all four county school corporations called off classes on Friday, Putnam County dodged a major weather bullet in the first big snowstorm of the winter season.

While areas north of Greencastle fared better than the rest of the county, 5.5 inches of snow was recorded by local observer Diana Foust. About three inches of snow was more the norm to the north.

Snow began falling in Greencastle about 8:30 p.m. Friday, although by then areas to the south had already been experiencing sleet, freezing rain and snow, making Interstate 70 treacherous to travel.

Weather forced postponement of Friday night's opening-round basketball games in the 2013 Boys' Putnam County Tournament until Saturday morning, with the first game between Cloverdale and Greencastle set to begin at 10 a.m. The North Putnam-South Putnam contest is due to begin at around noon.

Other nearby snow reports included an inch of snow at Rockville in Parke County, three inches at Brazil in Clay County and 4.5 inches in Morgan County.

The National Weather Service reported up to 10 inches of snow near Vincennes and more than seven inches around Bloomington. About five inches fell near Columbus and Franklin, both along Interstate 65 south of Indianapolis.

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) said it had more than 600 trucks clearing and treating highways. Spokesman Harry Maginity said crews were able to keep most highways in good shape.

"It looks like pretty wet snow, which means it's probably not going to be drifting," he said. "If we had a drier snow, then the rural highways would be blowing shut."

Statewide, two people were killed on treacherous roads as a storm that dumped ice and as much as 10 inches of snow on much of Indiana stretched into its second day on Friday.

State police responded to numerous accidents Friday that shut down a section of Interstate 70 west of Indianapolis and caused a late-morning backup on Interstate 65 just south of the city, but no major injuries were reported.

That was better news than Thursday night, when Karen Price, 51, of Brazil, died in a multiple-car crash near Terre Haute and Mohammed A. Isse, 33, Chicago, died when his car was struck when a tractor-trailer driver lost control of his truck near Richmond.

The roadway was only wet at the time of the Terre Haute crash as Putnamville Indiana State Police troopers and Vigo County emergency agencies responded to the four-vehicle crash on U.S. 40 in eastern Vigo County.

An eastbound 2011 Toyota SUV, driven by Catherine M. Burk, 25, of Brazil, reportedly lost control, traveled off the roadway on the south side and upon reentering the roadway, crossed over center and struck a westbound 1997 Dodge pickup driven by Vance I. Smith, 23, of Terre Haute.

Impact caused the Smith vehicle to then strike an eastbound 2003 Ford Focus driven by Price, forcing the Price vehicle into the westbound lanes where it was struck broadside on the passenger side by a 2002 Chevrolet pickup driven by William P. Hastings, 46, of Terre Haute.

Catherine Burk was not injured and police said a medical episode may have been a factor in her losing control of her vehicle. Vance Smith was also uninjured. William Hastings was transported to Terre Haute Regional Hospital for what was believed to be minor injuries.

Karen S. Price was pronounced dead at the scene by the Vigo County Coroner's Office.

State Police continued to urge motorists to use caution when traveling or to stay off roads entirely in southern Indiana, which received a second round of ice and snow Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Indianapolis International Airport reported a handful of flight delays and cancellations, primarily to Texas and the East Coast. But the bigger issue was deicing. Some passengers reported waiting more than 90 minutes on the tarmac for their planes to be deiced.

The storm was expected to leave behind frigid air with highs in the teens and 20s over coming days.