The weather outside was frightful

With just three days left until Christmas, Polk County, along with most of the rest of the country, found themselves in the grip of a historical winter storm. Record breaking temperatures and wind chills caused havoc for business and shoppers alike. First responders, electrical linemen, plumbers and heating repairmen found themselves overrun with problems to fix. Businesses that expected to welcome lots of Christmas shoppers closed their stores early, if they even opened at all. Black ice covered the roadways very early on Thursday morning, Dec. 22, then changed to snow mid-morning with wind speeds in the 35 mph range. The upcoming holiday, however, looks to be a little warmer — in the 20s.