AUSTIN, Ind. (WDRB) -- The burst of snow Kentuckiana received Tuesday night and the bitter cold temperatures Wednesday made for a tough 24 hours for Indiana State Police.
The temperature Wednesday afternoon in Austin was 5 degrees with a wind chill of -22 degrees. ISP Sgt. Stephen Wheeles said the most calls that came in Tuesday night and Wednesday were from stranded motorists.
“Obviously, the cold is the biggest thing we’re dealing with right now," he said. "Anytime you have to work in these temperatures, it makes it tough. “I have been out since 7 this morning, and the temperatures haven’t risen a whole lot.”
Statewide, ISP received more than 1,100 calls of motorists having car issues because of the weather.
“We haven’t had the number of crashes, the weather-related crashes, we would be facing if it snowed or we had some ice along with the bad temperatures,” Wheeles said.
ISP urges anyone to call 911 if the temperatures are dangerously cold. Police say people are often hesitant to call because they feel being stranded is not a police emergency. However, Wheeles said when the temperatures are deadly, those calls are important.
Even though the roads looked pretty clear, plows and salt trucks were still double checking. They didn’t want any water still on the roads to refreeze overnight.
“It’s been pretty rough as far as trying to get the roads cleared. Sunshine has helped us a lot,” plow truck driver Joe Seal said. “We’ve been putting some material down that had some beet juice in it. That’s something that works in the colder weather.”
ISP said it noticed many people were heeding their warning and not driving or going out in the bitter temperatures.
Additional troopers will not be needed Thursday as the bitter cold snap will be heading out of the area.
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