Mayor declares emergency in response to winter storm

With the heavy snowfall and anticipated high winds, Chris Peterson, the mayor of Superior, declared a snow emergency Monday morning.

According to the news release from the city office, a snow emergency means weather conditions have made travel extremely hazardous. If a resident of Superior has an emergency, they were told to contact the Superior Police Department or the Nuckolls County Sheriff’s department dispatcher for assistance.

During snow emergencies, city street workers attempt to maintain access to the Public Safety Building and the Brodstone Healtcare Hospital for emergency responders. Priority is also given to the streets serving the nursing homes. They will work other streets as conditions allow in accordance with the emergency snow removal priorities.

Parents were asked to not allow their children to build snow forts or other play structures in the streets.

The general policy is for the street department to plow the north-south streets first and then do the east-west streets.

The Superior City Council meeting planned for 7:30 Monday evening was delayed until 7:30 tonight (Thursday). The public hearing planned for Monday was delayed until Jan. 22.

The Superior School Board meeting planned for Monday was delayed one week.

The Jewell County courthouse and most Jewell County offices closed at noon on Monday and were closed on Tuesday, as well. The Nuckolls County courthouse was closed all-day Monday.

Many Superior business were either closed on Monday or closed early. Many were also closed or adjusted hours on Tuesday, as well. By Tuesday afternoon, the wind had died down, the storm had moved on, the sun was shining and the area was waking up.

The first and heaviest round of a very wet snow started shortly before eight Monday morning and had pretty much finished by 1 p.m. Much of it melted in the relatively mild January temperatures.

A later, much drier round of snow was accompanied by high winds with gusts that approached 50 miles per hour.

Most schools in the area were closed on both Monday and Tuesday. The Superior Fire Department practice planned for Monday was delayed one week. The Superior Volunteer Rescue Squad was called to respond to people falling in the snow.

Superior City Offices closed at noon on Monday.

A number of rural electric customers reported power outages. At one time Monday, Rolling Hills Electric had 90 customers without power in Jewell County and 222 in Republic County. The power company’s wholesale electric supplier had trouble keeping two substations on line during the storm. Norris Public Power District reported 249 customers in Thayer County without power.

As darkness settled over the area Monday, the blowing snow made for whiteout conditions and power company crews and snowplow crews were ordered to return home and wait out the storm.

Both I70 and I80 were closed by the storm along with other highways. A Whicita televsion station reported Monday evening that all western Kansas highways were impassable.

As storms go it was a wonderful one. When melted, the wet snow measured by the National Weather Service observer at Superior produced 0.85 of an inch of much needed moisture. It crusted and hasn’t blown around as much as dryer snow would have. The dry snow Monday night turned out to be less than expected.

By Tuesday afternoon, traffic on Highway 14 was picking up. Wednesday gave some time to catch our breath and restock but snow is again in the forecast for today and Friday.