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Wright County Highway Dept. Dealing With Ongoing Winter Weather (Update)
Wright County officials said that county plows were called into action at about 2 a.m. and have been out on the roads ever since.
Posted on December 30, 2019
Highway Department Dealing With Ongoing Winter Weather [UPDATE]
Anyone who has been on the roads over the weekend or earlier today knows just how treacherous the drive can be. But, the Wright County Highway Department has been tackling the winter weather since early this morning.
Find out what's happening in St. Michaelfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Wright County Highway Maintenance Supervisor Steve Meyer said that county plows were called into action at about 2 a.m. and have been out on the roads ever since. He said the biggest issue has been that temperatures have been hovering at or around 32 degrees, which has created an ugly wintery mix that is difficult to properly treat.
“The biggest problem has been ice and freezing rain,” Meyer said. “It’s countywide. Some areas have got more snow, but almost everywhere had freezing rain and ice.”
Find out what's happening in St. Michaelfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
This storm system is expected to last into Tuesday morning. Meyer said the latest information he’s getting is that the snow is supposed to remain steady throughout the day until about 9 p.m., at which time there is expected to be a break in the snow.
But, with all the plows out on county highways and roads, there will come a time that the drivers will need to be pulled from the roads after putting in a 12 hour shift so they can get some rest before starting the process over again in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.
“We’re monitoring the roads and have all the guys still out there plowing,” Meyer said at 9:30 a.m. Monday. “We’re probably going end up quitting some time later this afternoon – about 2 or 3 o’clock – so we can send them home and start up again early tomorrow morning to get ready for the morning commute.”
The current computer models are projecting about 3.3 inches of snow in Wright County from this system.
[UPDATE] Meyer reported at 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 30 that, with winds picking up to 15-20 miles per hour as the back side of storm is making its way through the county, the highway department plows will stop salting roads, because it is ineffective in windy conditions. He added that, with the wind, some drifting has begun taking place in open areas and that caution should be taken. The crews are scheduled to be pulled off the roads at 3 p.m. today and will resume plowing at 2 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31.
This press release was produced by the Wright County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.