Pike County residents woke up to icy roads and frigid temperatures Wednesday morning.

“The roads are getting worse out there,” Troy Mayor Jason Reeves said around 9:30 a.m. “Just because the sun is out does not mean it’s safe.”

Road conditions were so treacherous that police were shutting down a section of U.S. 231, from South Brundidge Street to Three Notch Street, due to extremely hazardous roadways. The Food World parking lot on South Brundidge Street has become a resting spot for 18-wheelers who were diverted off U.S. 231.

“Any travel is highly discouraged unless it is deemed an emergency,” Pike County EMA Director Jeanna Barnes said in an email.

“The closed road/impassable road situation has not changed as of this morning,” she said. “Road conditions are extremely hazardous and any travel must be limited to extreme emergencies.”

Forecasts called for a high temperature of around 29 degrees today, falling to 13 degrees overnight. Pike County remains under a hard freeze warning from 9 p.m. today to 9 a.m. Thursday.

“We should start to get temps above freezing Thursday after 10 a.m., but will reach a high of only 41 and will remain above freezing for the afternoon hours,” Barnes said.

Pike County received more than a quarter of an inch of freezing rain and ice Tuesday afternoon, followed by up to two inches of snow throughout the night. Combined with low temperatures, the winter storm left the county covered in a layer of frozen ice and snow.

Brundidge Police Chief Moses Davenport had to leave his patrol car at home today. He had an officer meet him down the road and pick him up.

“The roads are bad, believe me. It’s just too hazardous to be out,” he reported while on his way to a wreck on U.S. Highway 231. “If it’s not absolutely essential, stay off the road. We’re not even requiring non-essential personnel.”

Davenport said there were no serious wrecks and no reports of casualties related to the storm.

“Just snow and ice,” he said. “Lots of snow and ice.”