Mike Wolanin | The Republic Ethel Mae Yoder, from left, Geneva Oberholtzer and Brenda Oberholtzer shovel snow from the steps of First Christian Church in Columbus, Ind., Monday, Jan. 26, 2026.
Road conditions in Columbus and Bartholomew County improved enough for emergency management officials to downgrade the county’s status to “watch,” meaning travel could resume on area roads Tuesday morning.
Shannan Cooke, Bartholomew County Emergency Management director, said city and county road crews had made significant progress on Monday, and there had been dramatic improvement from the 2 p.m. Monday decision to keep the county at warning status, meaning only emergency responders on the roads.
The National Weather Service is listing Columbus as receiving 14.5 inches of snow over the weekend. Many residents spent Monday and Tuesday digging out driveways and vehicles in preparation to be allowed to travel.
During meetings with first responders, Cooke said calls for weather-related assistance to the E-911 center went from 650 to 670 calls in the last 36 hours to very few on Tuesday.
Most city streets and county roads have had at least one pass by a snowplow, Cooke said, and the plows were returning to routes on Tuesday.
However she cautioned that snow and ice remain packed on some streets and roads, and freezing temperatures mean that it is unlikely much of it will thaw or respond to salt treatment. And most of the snow and ice that does thaw will refreeze overnight, meaning motorists need to be cautious at all times when traveling, she said.
Columbus Police Department Lt. Skylar Berry said officers have seen a drop-off in weather-related calls, and noted many residents listened and stayed off the roads when Bartholomew County was in the “warning” status Sunday and Monday, limiting road access to emergency responders.
CPD officers did spend some time pushing stranded motorists’ cars that had become stuck, some of which was captured on social media.
Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Andrew Dougan described county roads as overall pretty decent, with the biggest challenge being the number of miles of roads that county highway needs to cover after a major snow storm.
Many county roads have been plowed once, but may be only a one-lane width, and county highway is now going back over them to widen them to two lanes, he said. Most are covered with compacted snow and slick, but motorists can navigate them by slowing down and not following too closely behind another motorist.
Dougan said calls for service for weather-related issues slowed down Monday, perhaps because people stayed home because of the travel status, but calls picked up a bit Tuesday as the status was lifted to allow travel.
With the county allowing the public to travel, Columbus Regional Hospital reopened its doctor’s offices for outpatient procedures at noon on Tuesday.
While road conditions were improving, freezing temperatures continue to be a concern. Emergency management says a cold weather advisory will be in effect until 11 a.m. today, as wind chills as low as 20 below zero were expected overnight into this morning. Frostbite and hypothermia will occur if unprotected skin is exposed to these temperatures.
