Snow, sleet and slush out West

ROUND MOUNTAIN, Texas (KXAN) - Cold, icy rain continued falling in the Texas Hill Country Tuesday afternoon.

US 281 turned into a slippery mess as rain pooled in roadside ditches.

Wet, slick roads faced Hill Country commuters throughout the day as Mother Nature drove wintry-weather through the area.

The conditions put a damper on Alexis Valenciano's plan to drive to San Antonio in under an hour.

"It's been really wet and slippery," said Valenciano, while she took a pit stop and pumped gas.  "People are driving a lot slower.  Most likely, it will take a us two hours."

Most drivers looked out windshields drenched in rain and slush and moved slowly and cautiously.

"We're going slower over bridges because we heard they get icy and stay icy longer," said Robert Divita, who just built a cabin in the area. "Generally, I am trying to keep it under 60 on the roads."

"Just watching my speed limit, seeing how other cars are reacting," Valenciano explained.  "The roads are slippery and you can hydro-plane a lot faster, or easier too."

The cold rain also froze  business at roadside stores.

Business at a Marble Falls fireworks stand was anything but booming.

"They don't even slow down when it's raining," said Ed Courtney, who was watching the rainfall from inside the camper parked next to his fireworks stand.  "They're not [motorists] thinking much about fire works right now, but yesterday was a good day."

The cold, wet weather is supposed to last until early Wednesday but better weather could arrive by Thursday and Courtney said he's confident this will set off business.

" We're thinking we are going to have some great great sales," Courtney added.

Other people said they avoided driving all together or cut their trips short and headed home to keep warm. That's where many people plan to stay this week as the rain-and-snow mix is expected to last into early Wednesday.