Winter weather conditions are making road clearing nearly impossible in many instances.

Marion County Engineer Tyler Christian reports county plows and graders won’t be on roadways due to safety concerns — and they will resume on Sunday.

He encourages nobody to travel on rural roads today. Wind gusts up to 40 MPH with the 7-10″ of snow that has fallen locally is causing major drifts and impassable roadways.

Christian says they’ve also already encountered several abandoned vehicles, which is slowing down the progress of plows and graders. Additionally, any response to emergencies will be slowed down, so Christian says there’s less risk to first responders if there are fewer drivers on the road.