Winter Weather Operations Update, February 2

Published on February 02, 2022

A photograph of a snowplow during a storm with a salt spreader in the background

There's another wave of snow heading our way, so the Snow Crew will keep at it tonight.

The National Weather Service forecast calls for a trace to 1" of snow and extremely low temperatures. The bulk of the storm is expected to be to the south of Wyandotte County. The snow will start falling in Kansas City, Kansas, after 10 PM and end sometime around rush hour tomorrow. 

The Snow Crew has been hard at work today plowing and treating Hot and Secondary Routes. Hot Routes are major roads like State and Parallel and streets that serve police stations, fire stations, hospitals, and schools. Secondary Routes are streets that serve neighborhoods. They will finish up this evening and then immediately transition into Neighborhood Routes. Neighborhood Routes will be plowed and treated with a salt/sand mixture overnight. The salt/sand mix used tonight in neighborhoods is important.

Kansas City, Kansas, has more Neighborhood Routes than Hot & Secondary Routes. This means that not all neighborhood routes can be completed at the same time. As the temperature drops this evening and overnight, plowing will become less effective, and salt treatment will also become less effective. This will result in some neighborhoods becoming snowpacked. The Snow Crew places a salt/sand mix to help improve traction in these situations.

When snow becomes tightly packed, ice forms underneath. In these instances, drivers may not plow because removing the top layer of snowpack would leave a solid sheet of ice that salt treatment could not melt quickly or efficiently. Although it seems counterintuitive, a small amount of snowpack can increase traction and keep motorists safer than they may otherwise be.

The Snow Crew will work through tomorrow morning. The cold will continue to be a factor in this storm. With temperatures as low as 5-degrees Fahrenheit tomorrow morning, some roads may refreeze, and isolated slick spots may develop.  Please remember to slow down and give the Snow Crew plenty of room to work safely.

To learn more about winter weather operations, view frequently asked questions, and read Public Works’ Snow & Ice Removal policy, visit wycokck.org/Snow.

To report a service issue, dial 3-1-1 or visit mywyco.wycokck.org.

While the Snow Crew is out tonight, keep the following in mind:

The Goal is to Return Traction to Streets

The purpose of winter weather operations isn't to clean and clear streets. The goal is to restore traction to streets so that motorists can be as safe as possible. Restoring traction to streets can be a tricky business, but there are generally four ways traction can be restored to streets during winter weather:

  1. Restoring traction by plowing
  2. Restoring traction by using salt
  3. Restoring traction by using sand
  4. Restoring traction by using a combination of plowing, salting, and sanding. 

When temperatures fall below 15-degrees Fahrenheit, the salt melts ice and snow more slowly. The colder it is outside, the longer it takes salt to do its work, which impacts winter weather operations. During some storms, traction can be restored by moving snow away from roads with plows, and in other storms, traction can be restored by using only a salt treatment. In other cases, plowing a street may reduce traction - especially in neighborhoods. 

When snow becomes tightly packed, ice forms underneath. In these instances, drivers may not plow because removing the top layer of snowpack would leave a solid sheet of ice that salt treatment cannot melt quickly or efficiently. Although it seems counterintuitive, a small amount of snowpack can increase traction and keep motorists safer than they may otherwise be.

 

Avoid Parking on the Street

Don’t park in the street whenever possible. It is dangerous and difficult to plow streets congested with parked vehicles. Some streets may not be plowed if plows cannot safely maneuver them.

The most helpful thing residents can do to facilitate snow removal is to get their cars off the street and encourage others to do the same. Residents with no other option other than on-street parking should park as close to the curb as possible.

Help Keep Snow Out of Your Driveway

One of the most frequent concerns in the removal of snow from public streets is snow being pushed back into driveways during plowing operations. As plows travel along streets, the snow accumulated on the plow blade has no place to go but on the adjacent streets and in driveways. The more snow that has fallen, the greater the problem will be.A graphic showing how to properly shovel a driveway to help prevent snow from being pushed back into it by a snowplow

  • Residents can reduce the likelihood of snow blocking their driveway by shoveling snow to the right while facing the street. Doing this will help snowplow drivers avoid carrying piles from the “upstream” side back across driveways.
  • In addition, shoving or blowing snow/ice into streets may cause hazardous conditions to other drivers. Residents and property owners are encouraged to follow the directions above in both commercial and residential areas.

 

More Winter Weather Tips

For more tips, view or download Public Works’ Helpful Tips for the Winter Season PDF.