By MADELINE REIDA

Staff writer

As students braced for the end of Christmas vacation Tuesday, grown-ups were bracing for a second winter storm in less than a week.

A polar vortex similar to but less snowy than one that ushered in 2022 will rake the county with lows at 4 degrees, 20-mph winds, and a 60% chance for more snow tonight and Thursday.

Marion school staff got rid of the slush on their sidewalks Tuesday before it could refreeze into a slipping hazard.

“I hate snow,” one staff member remarked. “It’s fun when you’re a kid, but when you’re an adult, it’s just a nuisance.”

Law enforcement officers likely are hoping for a repeat of a miracle: surprisingly few car accidents.

Sheriff Rob Craft said his department was called out to three accidents in the county over the weekend: a car in a ditch on Indigo Rd., a flat tire on K-15, and a car off the road at Florence’s roundabout.

“It was cold, windy, and nasty, and the roads were terrible, but people did a really good job of staying safe,” he said. “People were very prepared — those that did venture out, and not a lot ventured out because it was cold and terrible.”

All three accidents had no injuries.

“It was less than usual for a holiday weekend and the weather we had,” Craft said. “Oftentimes, it’s more than that.”

Dispatch reported a few other incidents, including a back-up involving four vehicles 3 a.m. Saturday at the Marion roundabout; evidence of someone driving through a stop sign and a fence before noon Saturday at 220th and Diamond Rds.; and two vehicles getting stuck at 11 a.m. Sunday on US-77. None required emergency services.

Ambulances and police had a bit of trouble reaching places without becoming accidents themselves.

“There’s hardly any snow stuck; it’s just pure ice,” deputy Joshua Meliza told dispatch. “I’m going 40 and I’m spinning up the hills.”

“Thankfully, there were no injuries to any extent,” Craft said. “All emergency services were just a little more slow and cautious.”

Kansas Highway Patrol reported seven injury accidents and one fatal accident caused by weather conditions over the weekend, none in Marion.