WINTER WEATHER: The Good And The Bad | News

The weather seemed to catch some drivers off guard Sunday with the changing temperatures bringing both bad and good news.

We expect it to be cold in January but we don’t expect it to drop from the 50s to the teens in just one day.

Ice skaters were in consensus when describing the conditions, “Yesterday was kinda hot and today, it`s really cold.”

Saturday’s picturesque weather turned to slick roads and frigid temperatures Sunday.

The turn in the weather wasn’t something everyone was prepared for.

Des Moines police responded to several accidents including one at Southeast 22nd and Hartford Avenue.

The driver told Channel 13 she was turning and her tires started to slide, sending the SUV into the woods.

Later, another bad accident near Southwest 9th and County Line Road where the driver lost control on the slick dirt road and flipped into the creek below.

No one was seriously hurt.

20 public works crews were also out on the roads but they weren’t plowing, “Anything under two inches, we feel we can take care of it with de-icing, or 100 percent salt, we’ll salt the twenty-two snow routes, all the hills intersections and bridges.”

The only silver lining to the change in the weather is from public works, who says since the roads were still warm from Saturday, the salt mix was able to do its job melting away the snow and ice left behind.

“We were surprised, the forecast called for flurries, so we didn`t think we would have anything measurable, so once we saw it continue to come down, we thought we better get some drivers in.”

Even though the snow’s not enough for crews to plow, it’s still enough for the City to declare it a snow event.

That means you have 48 hours to clear your sidewalks to avoid a fine.