Treatments will prove ineffective as temps drop below 15 degrees overnight

COLUMBIA, Mo (KMIZ)

Road treatment methods will be ineffective overnight as temperatures continue to fall, a Columbia Public Works official said Monday.

"Right now we have a 24-person crew that's out ... until 7 p.m.," said Richard Stone, engineering and operations manager for Columbia Public Works. "We may scale back after that to an eight-person crew overnight because temperatures are going to fall to the point where treatments are going to be ineffective overnight."

Columbia faced record-breaking snow for a Veterans Day on Monday.

"So, we're going to do everything we can between now and maybe 2 a.m. and then after that time it's probably going to be cold enough that it's going to be pretty ineffective to do in the way of treatments," Stone said.

The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team issued a Weather Alert Day Sunday night through Wednesday morning based on snowfall numbers and low wind chills.

Stone said city plows were focused Monday afternoon on first- and second-priority routes but might be able to move on to third-priority routes during the evening.

Snowfall began across Mid-Missouri early Monday, with locations such as Columbia, Osage Beach, Boonville and Hermann receiving more than an inch by 9 a.m.

Stone said road salt treatments are effective until about 15 degrees. Below that level the salt still melts some ice and snow, but not enough, he said.

"As those temps rise tomorrow it's supposed to be about 10 degrees early in the morning and then through the day it's going to rise to about 24 degrees so everything should be on first, second and third priorities should be taken care of early in the mornings," Stone said.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop F, which covers much of central Missouri, tweeted that it had received more than 200 calls for service by 5 p.m.

Stone encouraged drivers to leave some room on the roads for the plows. He suggests staying back about 100 feet.

"If you do have to pass them on the left and try to give them as much space as they can, we would recommend not passing them because they are putting treatment down and they're plowing," Stone said. "You're probably going to get wherever you're going faster if you stay behind them instead of trying to pass them."

Visit www.comosnow.com for more information on roads that are being plowed around the city.

Stay with ABC 17 News for more information on this developing story.