HAMILTON COUNTY — Winter weather brought dangerous driving conditions to Hamilton County roads Thursday, with crews struggling to keep up with an unpredictable storm system that caught forecasters and road maintenance teams off guard.
The Fishers Police Department responded to 23 crashes before 1 p.m. as freezing rain created treacherous conditions.
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"You suddenly get on the roadways and crews haven't had a chance to get ahead of this system that was a key component this morning," WRTV Meteorologist Chris Swaim explained.
Even well-maintained areas like Carmel experienced significant problems.
A multi-car crash went through the patio at Bar Louie, highlighting how quickly conditions deteriorated across the region.
"Today, that freezing rain wasn't even on the forecast during that time, and so we had already kind of wrapped up phase one of our snow response and had to head those trucks back out there," Ashley Elrod from the City of Fishers shared.
The incident underscores the unpredictable nature of winter weather response. Road crews must adapt their strategies based on timing, temperature, and the type of precipitation they encounter.
"It's not only about totals, sometimes it often is about timing and when people are going to be out on the roads or when they're not," Swaim added.
Weather conditions before a storm significantly impact how crews prepare roads. The temperature leading up to snowfall determines what type of treatment works best on road surfaces.
"It depends on the time of day that it comes in, it depends on was the weather warm before the snow came in, or it was below freezing temperatures, which even impacts the type of treatment that we're putting on the roads," Elrod said.
Fishers plans to deploy its full fleet of 45 trucks for upcoming weather events. However, officials acknowledge that each storm presents unique challenges regardless of preparation levels.
Traffic volume also affects how effectively crews can treat roads during active weather events.
"If there are a lot of people out on the roadways, it's hard for the road crews to get ahead of things," Swaim said.
Looking ahead, dropping temperatures in the coming days will create additional complications for road maintenance teams.
"In the next few days, really dropping down to below freezing, those are going to make for some really tricky roadway conditions that, quite frankly, are a challenge to treat," Elrod added.
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Griffin Gonzalez is the In Your Community multimedia journalist for Hamilton County. He joined WRTV in January of 2024. Griffin loves to tell stories about people overcoming their biggest obstacles and share the good news that his community has to offer. Share your story ideas and important issues with Griffin by emailing him at griffin.gonzalez@wrtv.com.
