SAUK VALLEY SNOW STORM: Conditions to get worse as travelers battle snow, ice

STERLING – A rolled-over FedEx truck. Multiple vehicles failed to crest the First Avenue hill. Police dislodged one minivan, then pushed it out again, after it traveled less than a block.

Such was the range of struggles drivers were dealing with this evening as heavy snow fell across the Sauk Valley, part of a winter storm meteorologists forecasted would feature frozen precipitation and cause dangerous conditions.

Carroll, Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties are under a National Weather Service winter storm warning until 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Snow began falling in Whiteside County around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, quickly limiting visibility to less than half a mile and accumulating on roads.

Around 2:55 p.m., a FedEx truck delivering packages on the northwest side of Sterling took the curve on West Science Ridge and McCue roads too fast, causing it to leave the road and roll into the ditch.

No injuries to the truck’s driver were reported, and fire crews cleaned a minor fuel spill, according to emergency radio communications.

Less than an hour later, emergency responders managed a slew of calls reporting minor vehicle collisions and vehicles that had left the road, ending up in ditches or on highway medians.

As the sun’s light fell, so, too, did the snow.

By 5 p.m., emergency responders worked through a stack of reports of vehicles failing to make it up the First Avenue hill in Sterling, their tires hampered by the slippery pavement beneath the wet snow.

“If anyone wants to come help push, we could use it,” an officer said over the radio.

After pushing out one minivan from a curb of snow on the street, a pair of officers watched as it again spun its tires attempting to turn onto Second Street.

“Is it really stuck again?” an officer asked over the radio, before pushing the van forward through the intersection.

As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, around 3 inches of snow had fallen in southern Carroll and northern Whiteside counties, according to the National Weather Service’s Quad Cities location.

Lee and Ogle counties saw less snow, with just over 2 inches reported by the same time.

All four counties were reporting light snow and an increased visibility of three-quarters of a mile.

Winds, coming from the southeast, were steady in the high teens. Gusts of 26 mph were reported in Savanna and Sterling, while gusts of 29 mph were reported in Rochelle.

Meteorologists predict snow will cease falling before 10 p.m., transitioning to sleet and frozen rain as temperatures begin to rise throughout the night.

About 3 to 6 inches of snow and up to a quarter of an inch of ice from freezing rain is possible for areas north of Route 34, while 1 to 3 inches of snow and sleet, and an ice accumulation of 0.2 to 0.4 of an inch is expected north of U.S. Route 30.

By midnight, according to the weather service, precipitation will largely end, leaving behind a layer of snow and ice on roads.

The freezing rain also may weigh down tree branches and utility lines, leading to power outages, forecasters warned.

Lingering drizzle and freezing drizzle also is possible into early Wednesday morning, but forecasters do not expect measurable precipitation after 6 a.m.

Still, meteorologists reported that “dangerous travel conditions will likely last into early Wednesday morning.”