City street crews are prepared for a variety of possible inclement weather.

According to the City of Salina, heavy rain and snow is forecasted to begin late tonight, February 16, and into the early morning of Thursday, February 17. These rains are forecasted to be followed by rapidly falling temperatures, transition from rain to sleet, and finally to snow by early Thursday morning.

Pretreatment of Salina’s roadways with salt and MgCl2 brine will not occur before the forecasted heavy rain, as it would likely be washed away by and not provide any benefit to the roadway conditions. Pretreating operations will commence late tonight or early Thursday morning as the rain diminishes and temperatures fall to near freezing, but prior to ice accumulations on the roadway. Initial accumulations of snow will be treated with salt and MgCl2 brine as necessary, and when accumulations merit plow arterial and residential roadways.

If snow accumulations are greater than 1.5” in depth, all arterial and collector streets will be plowed. If accumulations exceed 2” in depth, snow will be plowed in residential areas once arterial and collector streets have been plowed.

The public is asked to minimize travel during snow storms as much as possible. If travel is necessary, please be sure to clear your vehicle’s windshield and windows to improve visibility and your roof to reduce the amount of blowing snow for other motorists. Please allow extra stopping distance at intersections or between vehicles on the roadway.

The public is asked to also allow ample space when approaching snow removal equipment from behind, as the equipment will be distributing salt, which may cause limited visibility as snow is being removed from the roadway. Driving too closely to snow removal equipment could also present additional challenges and safety concerns for operators and other motorists.