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Just after 2 p.m. Wednesday in the full parking lot outside Harter House Supermarket on Eastgate, Cay Sergent, a retired educator, said she and her husband usually plan their grocery runs at low-traffic hours.
That wasn’t gonna happen on the eve of a severe winter storm. The Sergents, who live near Buffalo, were among dozens navigating the parking lot, and then the grocery aisles, of one of many Springfield supermarkets inundated with shoppers before Thursday’s expected winter storm and the holiday weekend.
“It’s busier,” Sergent said dryly when asked how it compared to the usual weekday afternoon shopping trip. But they got what they needed for holiday meals. Turkey, potatoes and pie are on the menu. She said they came to the store a day early due to the forecast, but all the comfort food they bought was Christmas-related.
The Sergents time in the checkout line was brief, since nearly all of the lanes were open. Managers weren’t available to talk about the pre-storm, pre-holiday rush, an employee said, because it was all hands on deck across the store.
Closures galore as city braces for severe weather
With temperatures expected to plummet overnight and severe weather expected early Thursday, Springfield is bracing for a historic winter storm.
Springfield Public Schools announced that Dec. 22 classes are canceled, meaning Dec. 21 is the final day of the semester. Both seated and virtual classes are canceled for Dec. 22, and all activities and sports that had been scheduled on Dec. 22-23 have been canceled. Today (Dec. 21) will be the last day of the first semester. Classes will resume on Jan. 4.
In making the decision, school district officials pointed to the National Weather Service wind chill warning issued for the area. The warning is in place from noon on Dec. 22 to noon Dec. 24, and is accompanied by a winter storm warning.
Light to moderate snow is expected during the storm, according to the Weather Service, but winds gusting as high as 45 miles an hour will hinder visibility. With sub-zero temperatures in the forecast for Thursday night, dangerously cold wind chills are anticipated, possibly as low as 30 below zero.
The NWS cautions that roads are expected to be slippery during morning and evening commutes on Dec. 22. Winds could bring down tree branches. People exposed to the cold for as little as 10 minutes could experience frostbite.
For those who go outside Thursday, the NWS encourages people to wear layered clothing and limit skin exposure to the cold. If you have to drive, bring a flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case you get stuck on the icy roads.
County courts, offices closing due to weather
Greene County offices, departments and circuit courts are closing Dec. 22-23 due to the weather forecast.
“This decision was not made lightly as citizens routinely need to access our properties to conduct business or seek justice, but we must consider the safety of employees and all those accessing the buildings,” Bob Dixon, Greene County presiding commissioner, said in a news release. “Please put your own safety first and that of your family and loved ones.”
The Greene County Highway Department will pretreat roads early Thursday morning in an effort to reduce slickness, according to the release, but officials cautioned that the frigid temperatures may impact how long it takes ice on roads to melt. Strong winds could lead to snow drifts, according to the release, particularly in the western part of Greene County.
More shelters opening to help unhoused residents
With the dangerous conditions in mind, Springfield’s Crisis Cold Weather Shelter committee recently mobilized to find more shelter for the city’s unhoused residents. On Wednesday, city officials released a list of available spaces in advance of the storm.
An additional space that was announced after the Daily Citizen reported on the effort to provide winter shelter space is the Foster Adopt Connect's Youth Center, 425 W. McDaniel, which on the night of Dec. 22 only will serve as a shelter for up to eight teenagers, ages 13 to 18. Those in need of shelter must check in at the center by 8 p.m. Thursday.
People in need of shelter on Thursday should come to Grace United Methodist Church at 600 S. Jefferson Ave. between 5 and 6 p.m., on Thursday. Hot meals and bus transportation will then be provided to shelters at 6:30 p.m., according to a city news release.
According to the city news release, three additional locations have agreed to serve as shelters during the winter storm, pending inspection and approval by Springfield’s Building Development Services Department and Springfield Fire Department.
Springfield-Branson National Airport staff ready for winter storm, but larger weather system will have ‘major impact’ on air travel over holidays
One of the few weather-related variables the local airport has control over is how and when to clear the runway, said Kent Boyd, spokesman for the Springfield-Branson National Airport. The airport crew has been winter ready since Oct. 1. Snowblowers are ready and plows are sharp. With a storm like the one projected to hit on Thursday, Boyd said the wildcard is the wind. It could impact when or if crews treat the tarmac with potassium acetate, a de-icer. Plunging temperatures will be a factor too. Crews will be monitoring all of that throughout the winter storm, he said.
With only a few inches of snow in Springfield’s forecast, Boyd said we may avoid airport-affecting weather locally. But the larger weather system led the airport to put out a notice to travelers that the larger winter weather system “will have a major impact” on flights across the U.S.
“This weather will likely cancel and delay many flights at airports in the Northwest, Central and Northern Plains, Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region,” the notice states. “If you plan to fly to/from any of these areas over the next few days be sure to check the status of your flight often.”
Already, many airlines have waived fees to rebook or reschedule flights during the holiday travel period. Boyd encouraged people to consider those options and to download phone apps of the airlines they’re flying with to get the latest information on flight status. And he reminded people that the weather here isn’t the only factor as to whether a flight departs or arrives on time. The notice to airport customers included a handful of common factors:
“When the airport is open flights are still canceled for other reasons, including: 1) weather conditions at airports you're flying to, 2) sometimes airlines cancel flights to avoid the high cost of winter operations, 3) ice build-up on a plane may prevent takeoff, even when the runways are ice-free. This list could go on for several paragraphs, but you get the idea: flights are canceled for a lot of reasons.”
Libraries staying open Thursday, but opening later on Thursday
Springfield-Greene County Library District branches and drive-up windows will open on Dec. 22, but they will open at 10 a.m. rather than 8:30 a.m.
The district’s Mobile Library will not be running as initially scheduled on Dec. 22-23. The bookmobile and the 10 library branches will also be closed for the holidays Dec. 24-26. The library has a hotline (417-616-0620) to provide updated information on closures during this winter storm and throughout the year.