District 186, Ball-Chatham go to e-learning for second straight day

Slippery road conditions and inclement weather are still playing havoc with school and business openings Tuesday.

For a second straight day, Springfield Public Schools and the Ball-Chatham schools will go to e-learning. Ball-Chatham announced its athletic and extracurricular events will go on Tuesday.

Other school districts implementing e-learning Tuesday include Taylorville, Mt. Olive, Mt. Pulaski, Greenview and Pawnee.

More: SJ-R's Leisa Richardson named executive editor of two South Carolina newspapers

Sangamon County roads are "open and passable" with some stretches that crews are still treating, said county engineer Brian Davis.

Crews spreading salt were back on the roads by 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, Davis said.

A District 186 Facebook post cited black ice on roads, sidewalks and parking lots for the decision.

"Ensuring the safety and well-being of our students and staff is our utmost priority," a social media post read.

Untreated roads and other surfaces remain slick throughout Springfield and central Illinois from the between a tenth and a quarter inch of ice that fell Monday, according to the National Weather Service in Lincoln.

The high temperature in the area Tuesday afternoon was expected to be near 40 degrees, according to the NWS.

That was "encouraging" to Davis and crews treating the county highway system, the main rural routes that connect communities.

"We are seeing the effects of the salt and obviously the temperatures are helping quite a bit, too," Davis added. "We had them in really good shape before we pulled off the roads (at 5:30 p.m. Monday).

The Illinois Department of Transportation cautioned that while temperatures will warm above freezing Tuesday, some surfaces remain slippery.

The warmer air flowing over the frozen ground could cause periods of dense fog, particularly Tuesday night, with some stretches of visibility below a quarter of a mile.

NWS hydrologist Darrin Hansing said the Springfield area could also see some patchy fog during the day Tuesday.

With the rain contributing to the snow melt, Hansing said he's expecting to see elevation in local creeks and streams, but "nothing rising to the concern of flooding."

On the Illinois River around Beardstown and Havana, there are forecasts of flooding later in the week, he added.

Chances of rain are in the area forecast through Thursday with high temperatures near the mid-40s.

Lincoln Land Community College's locations will have a delayed start of 10 a.m. Classes that begin at 10 a.m. and later will be held as normal. Classes that begin before 10 a.m. will not be in session.

Routt Catholic High School in Jacksonville started at 9:45 a.m.

Among the school districts not in session are Rochester, Williamsville-Sherman, Jacksonville, New Berlin and North Mac.

Sacred Heart-Griffin High School and Lutheran High School in Springfield are closed Tuesday. Calvary Academy, Camp Calvary and Calvary Day Care will be closed again Tuesday.

Lincoln, Jacksonville and PORTA public schools are closed.

Also, At Springfield Clinic, bariatrics at the main campus is telehealth only; the 900 building pharmacy is closed; radiation oncology at the HSHS Pavilion, and Koke Mill location will open at 10 a.m.

Senior Services of Central Illinois will open at noon, however, there will be no meal delivery.

Meanwhile, city of Springfield offices are open normal hours Tuesday. A City Water, Light & Power budget scheduled for the city council chambers at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday is still on. Lincoln Library opened at 10 a.m.

This story will be updated.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Road conditions still playing havoc in Springfield