Columbia officials review snow response after January storms
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Following a pair of winter storms that ripped through Columbia in January, the city is unlikely to change how it responds to winter weather.
On Monday, the City Council will listen to a follow-up report on how the city handled two winter storms that hit the area in January. This comes as city crews handle additional snowfall rolling through Mid-Missouri into Tuesday. Here is an overview of the report that will be presented to the council:
January storms put response policies to the test
The first winter storm in the report -- which began on Jan. 4 -- brought freezing rain, sleet and snow, accumulating more than 5 inches in most areas. City crews prepared in advance by deploying a 28-person team to begin pretreating roads on Jan. 2.
Despite extreme overnight temperatures limiting salt effectiveness, city workers managed to clear all streets to "passable" conditions by the early hours of January 8—well within the city’s 88-hour target for snow removal. The City of Columbia considers a street passable if a front-wheel drive car can navigate through one lane safely.
“That first day our response that we had was superb,” Ward 2 Councilmember Lisa Meyer said.
A second storm followed just days later, beginning late on Jan. 9 and continuing into the morning of Jan. 10. This event brought an additional 5-7 inches of snow. Crews initially focused on keeping priority routes passable before shifting to residential areas, which drew the ire of several residents.
“I started to get complaints as the snow continued and as the cleanup started to become a bit of a challenge,” Meyer said. “Several people who lived in neighborhoods, reaching out and saying ‘my street has not been cleared I’m really frustrated’ it also caused a delay in trash pickup which caused some confusion.”
Challenges and considerations for future improvements
By Jan. 11, all streets were cleared to passable conditions, again ahead of the city’s policy timeline.
While the city’s response met policy standards, officials acknowledged the unique challenges presented by these storms. Extreme cold limited the effectiveness of salt treatments, and lingering ice packs created difficulties on some streets, particularly in the southwest areas of the city.
“We were prepared but obviously weather has a different plan,” Columbia mayor Barbra Buffaloe.
To enhance future storm responses, the Public Works Department is considering increasing the number of lane miles maintained during continuous response. Currently, Columbia operates at 36.4-lane miles per operator, slightly above the industry standard of 22–35 lane miles per truck. Additional personnel from Parks and Recreation and City Utilities supplemented efforts, along with fleet mechanics working to keep plows operational.
"As we look into getting ready for fiscal year 26 budget one of the questions I’m going to ask is do we need more people and more equipment to handle snowstorms and other things that may come up in our streets division,” Buffaloe told ABC 17 News.
Another long-term improvement is the planned construction of a second salt storage facility in southern Columbia, expected to be completed by the summer of 2026. This facility will improve response times and allow for the storage of alternative de-icing materials, such as magnesium chloride, which is more effective in extremely low temperatures.
Snow cover in Columbia
Officials emphasized the unusual nature of January’s winter weather, the Columbia Regional Airport recorded 19 consecutive days (Jan. 5-24) of snow cover—the longest stretch since 1985 and the sixth-longest since 1969.
While the city believes crews effectively managed the storms within existing policy guidelines, discussions continue on how to further enhance Columbia’s winter weather response to minimize snowpack buildup and improve road conditions during future severe weather events.
