With the first major snowfall of the year, the Guthrie County Secondary Roads Department was called into action.

Guthrie County Engineer Josh Sebern says that crews worked through conditions that made clearing the roads difficult. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that the blowing winds were the first challenge they faced, but that dropping temperatures were the next.

“Followed by extreme cold, it was very challenging. We had some challenges with fuel gelling, and just life threatening conditions with the wind and cold. And there was a couple dicey situations in the rural areas during the blizzard, getting ambulances to where they need to go, and just some situations like that that come up, and we work with our fellow services and get done what we need to get done.”

Sebern mentions that once the winds finally died down, they were able to get paved roads cleared, and begin work on secondary roads. He adds that drivers should still be careful when driving, as they may come across areas where snow has been blown back onto the road, or in the case of gravel roads, come to areas where drifts haven’t been widened to accommodate more than one vehicle.