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ALERT – Highway 97 Open, Highway 29 Open

[Update 1:30 pm.} Roadways in the North Escambia are once again open.

Highway 97 and Highway 29 are both open. There is some ice remaining on the northbound Canoe Creek Bridge at last report. The Highway 4 bridge between Century and Jay is also open with some ice.

There are no specific openings or closures on the county roads in North Escambia. However, there is ice on some less traveled road and ice on many county road bridges as of 1:30 p.m.

Pictured top:  Vehicles that did not make a hill on Highway 97 when it was iced over. The roadway is now thawed and open. The Highway 4 bridge between Century and Jay open this morning, but icy. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

State Of Emergency: Schools, Most Things Closed Through Thursday

All public schools will be closed in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in Florida and Escambia County, AL, Escambia Academy and Brewton City for Thursday.

Escambia County (FL) has declared a State of Emergency  until midnight Thursday.  Escambia County has closed all offices Wednesday and Thursday with only essential personnel reporting to Emergency Operations Center.  Travel is not recommended  Wednesday or Thursday due to ice accumulations on  roadways in Escambia County.

CLOSURE/CANCELLATION LIST:

• All public schools, Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Escambia (AL), Baldwin, Mobile, Brewton City
• Thursday night’s National Junor Honor Society induction at Ernest Ward Middle will be rescheduled.
• Pensacola State College –  All campuses and centers of PSC will be closed  through Thursday.
• University of West Florida — All campuses closed, all activities canceled for Thursday.
• Temple Christian Academy (Atmore) closed  Thursday.
• Pensacola Christian Academy will be closed on Thursday
• All Catholic Schools in Escambia County will be closed Thursday.
• Escambia Academy (Canoe, AL) will be closed on  Thursday.
• All county offices in Escambia County (FL & AL) closed on Thursday.
• Community Action Program will be closed Wednesday.
• East Hill Christian School closed Thursday.
• Jefferson Davis Community College, Atmore and Brewton, closed  Thursday.
• All Florida Department of Health locations are closed and services suspended on Thursday.
• Escambia and Santa Rosa County and Circuit Courts closed on  Thursday.
• City of Pensacola, Town of Century, Town of Jay, Town of Flomaton  closed Thursday.
• Escambia Christian School will be closed  Thursday
• All programs and offices of United Cerebral Palsy of Northwest Florida, Capstone Academy Pensacola and Milton, Childrens Services Center and Milton Child Care Center will be closed  Thursday. Programs will resume on Thursday, January 30 at their usual times

• West Florida Public Libraries will be closed Thursday
• ARC Gateway, closed  Thursday
• Development Review Committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday at Central Office Complex at 1 p.m. and has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 5, at 1 p.m.
• The County Administrator interviews scheduled for Thursday, January 30 and the Special Board of County Commission Meeting to discuss County Administrator candidates on Friday, January 31 have been canceled.
• Naval Air Station Pensacola (NASP) will continue to restrict access to all but Category 5 personnel on Wednesday January 29. Category 5 personnel are those required to maintain emergency, fire and security services. A decision to resume normal operations on Thursday will be made after effects of weather are evaluated.
• ECUA residential collections for Wednesday will be made on Thursday. Thursday’s collections will be on Friday, and Friday’s collections will be made on Saturday.

NON-PROFIT CLOSURE LIST

Due to weather conditions the following programs and offices will be closed Thursday. They will resume normal operations on Frida at their normal times.

• ARC Gateway
• Boys and Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast (seven clubs located in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties)
• Catholic Charities
• Children’s Home Society
• The Community Action Program Head Start and All other Community Action Programs
• The Epilepsy Resource Center (ERC)
• Lutheran Services of North Florida
• Manna Food Pantries
• United Cerebral Palsy of Northwest Florida Offices
• UCP’s Capstone Academy Pensacola and Milton
• UCP’s Children’s Services Center and Milton Child Care Center
• USO Northwest Florida

Partial Closures or unique operations are as follows:

• Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies (BRACE) will be represented at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) throughout the current level 2 activation and BRACE LLC staff will be onsite at Heritage Oaks, however, BRACE staff will work from their homes on Tuesday and Wednesday until weather conditions allow for safe travel to and from work.
• Health & Hope Clinics located in Pensacola and Century (9am-11:30a clinics closed). They will make a decision regarding whether or not to open their later clinics at 10am Thursday. (5pm-8pm clinics)
• United Way of Escambia County will suspend opening of the office until 1pm on Thursday the 30.  2-1-1 information and referral agents will be available 24/7
• The YMCA will NOT provide school age childcare on January 30 and currently plan to keep the branches closed until Noon tomorrow.

Please do not email, use the comment form or contact us asking about closures. The latest closure information we have will be listed in this story and updated 24/7.

Northview What-A-Night, Ernest Ward Honor Society Canceled

Events scheduled for tonight at Ernest Ward Middle School and Northview High School have been canceled.

A National Junior Honor Society Induction planned for tonight at Ernest Ward Middle School will be rescheduled.

A Northview High School band fundraising event planned for tonight at Century’s What-A-Burger restaurant has been canceled and will be rescheduled for a future date.

The Big Thaw Now, 70 By Sunday

Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:

• Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 28. Calm wind.
• Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the morning.
• Friday Night: Patchy fog. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
• Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers after 8am. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 69. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Saturday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Patchy dense fog. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 59. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
• Sunday: Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 72. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
• Sunday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before midnight, then rain likely after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 50. North wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
• Monday: A 30 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 59. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Northeast wind around 10 mph.
• Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68.
• Tuesday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55.
• Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 55.
• Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 32.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 51.

Pictured top: A cold sun glistens on an icy field in Walnut Hill Wednesday afternoon. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Frozen: Stay Off The Roads

Every major bridge and roadway in Escambia County is either closed or experiencing major issues, according to Escambia County Emergency Management.

Every roadway in the North Escambia area has ice on the roadway, and that at ice will not melt today with a high expected only in the 20’s. Highway 29 is impassable; there have been numerous accidents, vehicles into ditches (including an Escambia County EMS ambulance) and jack-knifed 18-wheelers.  Highway 97 is practically impassable due to ice.  Vehicles are unable to travel up a hill near Wiggins Lake Road.

Highway 29 is closed for the night from Bluff Springs Road to Cox Road. Highway 97 is closed from Arthur Brown Road to Kansas Road in Walnut Hill. There are no detours; drivers should avoid the area altogether.

The smaller county roads in the North Escambia area are in even worse condition.

It’s no better in Pensacola, with many roads closed and most of the area impassable.

“Traveling local roadways at this time can be a life threatening decision,” according to Escambia County Public Safety.

Air travel is also shutdown at the Pensacola International Airport. The airport has ceased all aircraft operation.

Pictured top: Two jack-knifed 18-wheelers on Highway 29 south of Century. Pictured below: An impassable Highway 97 near Davisville. Pictured bottom: An iced-over Delta plane at Pensacola International Airport. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Train Derails In McDavid, Tanker Cars Into Creek

A train derailment in McDavid Tuesday night ended with chemical tanker cars submerged in a creek, but resulted in no injuries and just a short evacuation for a small number of families.

FOR AN IMPORTANT UPDATE TO THIS STORY, CLICK HERE>

Twenty-three cars of a 69-car CSX train derailed about 6:20 p.m. on a north-south track almost behind the McDavid Sawmill . Reports from the scene indicated that a bridge and railroad tracks in the area were totally destroyed by the derailment.

There were no injuries to the CSX crew or anyone else in the crash.

Two tanker cars  of phosphoric acid were submerged in Fletcher Creek with other cars landing on top of them.

“After hours of close inspection, Escambia County crews have found no evidence of any chemical leaking from the derailed cars,” Escambia County PIO Bill Pearson said early Wednesday morning.

Units from the Molino and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue and the county’s Hazmat team responded to the incident.

A small number of homes on Cotton Lake Road were evacuated as a precaution, and an emergency shelter was opened by the America Red Cross at the Molino Community Complex. Just one family took advantage of the shelter before officials gave the all-clear for residents to return to the homes.

Pearsons said a crash investigation would be conducted by CSX. He said it  may take crews several weeks to make repairs to tracks at the bridge at that location.

Hard Freeze Tonight

Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:

• Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 14. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight.
• Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 46. Wind chill values between 5 and 15 early. North wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
• Thursday Night: Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 29. Calm wind.
• Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the morning.
• Friday Night: Patchy dense fog. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
• Saturday: A 20 percent chance of rain. Areas of dense fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 69. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
• Sunday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 70. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
• Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 57. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
• Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 69.
• Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 52.
• Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70.
• Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52.
• Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 65.

Pictured: Sleet falls and accumulates Tuesday night in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Winter Weather Shelter Open

In coordination with Escambia County Emergency Management, the American Red Cross opened a winter weather shelter Tuesday night to provide safe, warm lodging for area residents affected by power outages and frigid temperatures.

The shelter opened at East Brent Baptist Church at 4801 North Davis in Pensacola.

• Medications
• Glasses
• Important personal paperwork
• Cell phone and charger
• Warm clothing
• Sanitation/ personal care products
• Flashlight and batteries

Road And Bridge Closures

The major road and bridge closures in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are listed below.  Almost all other roads in the North Escambia area are covered in some combination of ice, sleet or snow. Travel is not advised.

• Boggy Creek Bridge on County Road 97A . This is the temporary metal bridge near Enon, about 10 miles from Walnut Hill.
• Highway 97 is closed from Arthur Brown Road to Kansas Road in Walnut Hill. There are no detours; drivers should avoid the area altogether.
• Highway 29 is closed from Cox Road to Byrneville/Bluff Springs Road.
• I-10 closed from Scenic Highway to Highway 87 (including Pensacola Bay Bridge)
• Theo Baars Bridge (Perdido Key Drive) to Perdido Key – Despite the bridge closure, medical and rescue crews are available on Perdido Key for emergency situations
• Three Mile Bridge
• The Barrancas Bridge over Bayou Chico
• Main Gate bridge at Pensacola NAS. Use the back gate.
• The Bayou Texar Bridge
• I- 10 bridge over the Perdido River is down to one lane from Alabama to Florida
• I-10 bridge over Escambia Bay leading into Santa Rosa County has been closed in both directions
• I-10 Bridge at Blackwater in Santa Rosa County.
• I-10 Bridge over Perdido River from Alabama to Florida is down to one lane

Winter Storm Warning: More Ice, Sleet, Snow Likely Tonight

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for the entire area. Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:

• Tonight: Snow and freezing rain, possibly mixed with sleet before midnight, then a chance of snow and freezing rain between midnight and 3am. Low around 20. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. North wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. Total nighttime snow and sleet accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
• Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 33. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 16. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
• Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 46. Wind chill values between 20 and 30 early. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the afternoon.
• Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 31. South wind around 5 mph becoming east after midnight.
• Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 60. East wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
• Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
• Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Saturday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Sunday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65.
• Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48.
• Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 63.
• Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48.
• Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66.

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