Winter storm hits Northwest Indiana hard, leaves roads treacherous
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (CBS) -- Roads were left slippery and dangerous as a heavy burst of snow fell Friday in Northwest Indiana.
As CBS 2's Jermont Terry reported Friday night, the calendar says March, but the winds whipping in Northwest Indiana felt more like January Friday evening.
Those winds blew snow all over the roads – making driving dangerous.
"The roads are terrible," said Susan Browning. "Indiana wasn't too bad until we got to Lafayette."
Browning was traveling from Kentucky to Schaumburg Friday night – and snow totals left her surprised by what she found in Merrillville.
"A lot of wrecks, a lot of jackknifed trailers, just a lot of slow traffic - dead stop," Browning said.
Meanwhile, Josh Morgan was putting in overtime to clear the snow from countless businesses.
"It's always good to get some money," Morgan said. "We've got a pretty big route, so we'll be going for a while – a couple down Route 30, a couple in Hammond, Gary - all over the place."
But as Morgan moved across the area, he discovered something unique about the snowfall on Friday.
"This stuff's not easy to shovel," he said. "Even plowing it, it really does a lot a work on the truck."
There was a constant shower of rain, and then snow, through much of the day and night -- making the snow heavy.
"Because all that rain that came before the snow, a lot thicker underneath – a lot wet, sloppier obviously," Morgan said. "It's hard to push."
What is likely harder to push or sell on a day such as this is summer patio furniture. It is already on display at the Old Time Pottery store in Merrillville.
But March is coming in like the proverbial lion before we can think about patio furniture.