City crews are scheduled to begin working 12-hour rotating shifts beginning at 7 p.m. on Wed., Jan. 16, until at least 7 a.m. on Tues., Jan. 22, as freezing drizzle/rain and a potential weekend blizzard are forecast for the area.

Freezing drizzle/rain is expected Wednesday night and overnight into Thursday, with crews treating roadways and bridges in preparation for the Thursday morning commute. Residents should use caution at intersections and on elevated surfaces such as bridges and overpasses.

Crews will pre-treat residential streets throughout the day on Thursday in preparation for the weekend storm, and will treat roadways and bridges as needed Thursday night and overnight into Friday due to potential re-freezing.

Crews will pre-treat primary and secondary streets on Friday before the weekend storm arrives. Current forecasts show the potential for significant snowfall with high winds, making blizzard conditions possible. Snow is expected to be dry and fluffy with a high potential for blowing and drifting which may require multiple re-plowing of primary and secondary streets to keep them clear. Temperatures are expected to plummet Saturday night into Sunday, limiting the effectiveness of salt treatments and making bare pavement unlikely especially on residential streets and any place traffic has packed down the snow to pavement. The City expects a Level 5 response, which means it could take up to 48 hours after accumulating snow ends for crews to plow and treat all streets in the city.

The City will continue to monitor the forecast and update its response accordingly.