Icy Day in Pensacola

Yesterday and today, a rare event has occurred in Florida. The panhandle is pretty much shut down due to ice. I haven't seen an ice storm like this here since I was a child. There was snow in Pensacola in March of 1993, but not ice like this.

Nearly every bridge in the panhandle of Florida is closed, including the 3-mile bridge that connects Gulf Breeze to Pensacola. The I-10 bridge is closed over Escambia Bay and the Blackwater River. Of course, that doesn't really matter since the entire interstate highway is closed from mile marker 7 (Pine Forest Road in Pensacola) to mile marker 112 (Holmes County). Besides the bridges, most roads are icy.

During the day yesterday, the weather alternated between rain and sleet. We were hoping for snow, but no such luck. Before we went to bed last night, we bundled up and stepped outside. The precipitation had changed to pellets of ice falling from the sky. Wil put out his iPad (I know, not smart) and videoed little ice pellets bouncing off of it. We also videoed it falling from the sky, with it looking like tiny comets streaking across the lens.

This morning, we were up before 7 AM. Once again, we bundled up to go outside and take photos. The grass is crunchy with ice. Ice covers everything--the deck, mailbox, outdoor furniture, mailbox, etc. It is very difficult to walk without slipping and sliding. The puddle at the end of the driveway has a thin film of ice on top.

It is beautiful to see, but miserable for people without power. Unfortunately, the ice weighs down the trees, which sometimes fall and take down power lines. Three to four thousand homes in the three westernmost counties of Florida are without power. That makes it miserably cold for those homes. The temp is still in the 20s. It might make it up to the mid-30s this afternoon.

The ice is dangerous, too. There was a multiple vehicle crash on the I-10 bridge over the Blackwater River last night before the highway was closed. Seventeen vehicles were involved, including 5 semi trucks. One of those trucks went over the bridge into Blackwater Bay. The driver of that truck is assumed dead. Emergency workers have not recovered that yet. Several people were taken to local hospitals, some in serious condition.

Another kind of accident occurred in Molino, in northern Escambia County. A train derailed in a remote area. At least 2 cars fell into a creek, with more cars piled on top. Emergency workers had a difficult time getting to the site. The train cars that derailed were carrying phosphoric acid, so this will be bad for the environment. A few residents in that area were evacuated.

The only bridge open now is the Garcon Point Bridge. It's normally an expensive toll bridge, but the toll has been suspended. Not many people use that bridge because of the $3.75 toll each way. The building of that bridge was controversial and so is the amount of the toll. But in emergency times, people are glad it is there.

Residents of Santa Rosa Island, the beaches--Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach, are stranded on the island. All bridges to that island are closed. Navarre was the last one to close. The good news is that there are no power outages out there. The bad news is that emergency services are limited on the island.

My mom called me last night, just to see if we were okay. She was worried about the closed bridges cutting our peninsula off from Pensacola. I reminded her that we have a hospital in Gulf Breeze and there are no bridges between my house and Fort Walton Beach. Plenty of emergency services are available to me.

School was out yesterday and today. I was a little annoyed that the superintendent closed schools on Tuesday, before this event really began. However, he did make the right call, as it turns out. By afternoon, it would have been dangerous for school buses to be on the roads. Today, it would have been impossible.

Now the questions is will schools open tomorrow? Today, the temp is supposed to get up to 35 degrees. That is barely above freezing, but if the sun comes out, there will be some melting of ice. The problem with that is temps are due to fall back into the 20s tonight. Right now the ice is crunchy and rough, since it fell from the sky as ice. The icy surfaces are rough and bumpy. If the ice melts and refreezes, it will be much slicker. That's already happening were some cars have tried to drive and have packed down the ice.

So, only time will really tell. I guess I'll stay tuned for more news. Meanwhile, I am grateful to be bundled up in my warm home.