R. R. Branstrom/Escanaba | Daily Press A crosswalk under water Friday at the intersection of North 19th Street and 13th Avenue North in Escanaba.

ESCANABA — Road conditions were less than ideal Friday as streets flooded with water and melting slush.

About 1.3 inches of rain fell at the Delta County Airport between Thursday night and Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Only 0.06 inches is considered “normal” for this date, Jan. 9, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows.

The rain followed roughly 18 inches of snow Escanaba had received since Dec. 28, and as warm temperatures late last week caused snow to melt, the combination of new precipitation and old led to lots of water gathering in many places — especially in low areas and where storm drains were blocked, leaving no place for the accumulation to go.

Near Webster Elementary School, standing water 10 inches deep prompted the City of Escanaba to close the roadway to traffic, citing “hazardous driving conditions.” By mid-late afternoon, as school let out, cones still marked off the flooded area on North 19th Street and people were altering their routes to avoid the area.

Meanwhile, the city’s Department of Public Works put heavy equipment to use clearing piles of snow that remained after roads had been plowed. At the beginning of last week, they removed the large snowbanks in the center lane of Ludington Street after residents raised concern they were difficult to see around and created a potentially hazardous situation.

The rain Friday morning may have broken a record for the date. The highest amount of precipitation recorded on Jan. 9 since 2004 in Gladstone was 0.34 inches. However, rain this time of year is not unheard of; 1.21 inches fell in Gladstone on Jan. 8, 2019.

After a warm couple of days, temperatures dropped slightly over the weekend, with freezing rain early Saturday morning followed by snow showers during the day and accumulation of 1 to 2 inches in Escanaba on Saturday.

Today’s temperatures in Escanaba could reach up to 34 degrees. Chances of rain and snow showers are predicted later in the week.