Tips to remember ahead of snow season
Published on November 16, 2022
Despite a small amount of snow gracing the southern portion of Weld County this past weekend, snowfall throughout the county this year has been somewhat nonexistent. However, that’s expected to change later this week as the forecast is calling for strong winds with a 50 to 70% chance of snow in some areas. Before drivers are impacted by changing weather, the Weld County Department of Public Works wants to remind them of the following tips to help them stay safe, along with county plow truck drivers and motor grader operators responsible for snow removal on more than 2,100 miles of gravel roads and more than 700 miles of paved roads:
Don’t expect bare pavement – Plow truck drivers and motor grader operators within Public Works work to make county roads passable not completely clear. Expect to deal with snow on roads and prepare for changing conditions. Before heading out, ensure your car is in good working condition and consider assembling an emergency preparedness kit to keep in your vehicle. Check out our emergency preparedness flyer for ideas on creating a prep kit(PDF, 559KB).
Drive for conditions – Slow down, give yourself extra time to get to your destination and monitor weather reports to determine if travel is safe or necessary. Beyond accounting for the amount of snow on the roads, factoring in the strength of the wind is also important as blowing snow can reduce visibility.
Leave plenty of space – Drivers of plow trucks and motor graders are trying to help the traveling public get where they need to be safely. Help them achieve this goal by leaving them plenty of space. Public Works recommends drivers leave at least 250 feet between themselves and plow trucks and motor graders. Also, as plow trucks and motor graders can create clouds of snow when clearing roads, resist the urge to pass them.
Snow affects everyone, so please be patient – We get it. Snow can be an inconvenience. However, during snowstorms, teams of 22 drivers are working 12-hour shifts to make paved roads passable while 27 motor grader operators are doing the same on gravel roads. Plowing arterial roads — roads that connect to high traffic areas — is Public Works’ top priority, so please be patient when waiting for roads to be plowed.
Follow the county’s social media platforms – Snow desk posts contain information about county road conditions during snowstorms. Follow the county’s Facebook and Twitter platforms for those updates.
Find more information on Public Works’ process for snow removal by reviewing the department’s snow and ice webpage.
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