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Over 300 crashes, 300 slide-offs and at least two deaths from Friday winter storm

Posted at 11:51 PM, Jan 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-13 11:23:43-05

INDIANAPOLIS -- Friday's winter storm wasn't a huge snow-maker but it left behind ice, sleet, slush and some snow in its wake - which caused quite a mess on the roads. 

THE NUMBERS

It was a wild 24 hours of weather that started Thursday afternoon with temperatures reaching 60 degrees and transitioned into a wet and cold evening. After midnight that rain turned to freezing rain and eventually snow which led to more than 380 school cancelations by early Friday morning. 

The snow totals varied from 1.4 inches in Indianapolis to 4.5 inches recorded in Smithville as of Friday evening, but official totals weren't in for many areas. 

PHOTOS | Winter storm rolls through Indy

Friday evening, Indiana State Police reported more than 300 crashes - 59 of them with injuries - and two deaths from the treacherous road conditions. 

On top of that, crews worked more than 300 slide-offs and assisted more than 300 other motorists. 

WHAT'S NEXT

Now we deal with another arctic blast and very windy conditions. Blowing and drifting snow will be a big issue for us Saturday with highs only right around 20 degrees. Wind gusts could be in the 40 mph range. If there is still any ice on the trees Saturday, we could run into problems when the wind kicks up. That is when branches could fall.

Travel wise, advisories and watches will likely remain in effect across central Indiana through the weekend because of the leftover snow and ice. The main roads will likely be mostly cleared for the weekend but where you're going to run into issues will be side roads and neighborhoods.

MAP | See a full list of Travel Advisories & Watches

As we found out Friday evening, that early morning freezing rain left a sheet of ice on most side roads that were never able to be fully addressed. Toss a coat of snow and freezing temperatures and you've got the makings of some really slick, dangerous conditions. 

Hopefully, some of these will be addressed over the weekend, but it wouldn't hurt to keep it slow when you're driving through the neighborhood. 

LOOKING AHEAD

More snow is on the way for Monday as a quick clipper moves through the area.  Several inches will be possible with highs only in the teens behind the reinforcing shot of cold air.

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