St. Louis – Freshly into the new year, the Missouri Department of Transportation crews are preparing for a winter storm that could cause havoc for motorists on Sunday. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), freezing rain and ice are expected all day Sunday.
“This precipitation is forecasted to move into the area mainly as freezing rain. Though air temperatures are expected to rise above freezing by Sunday evening, the ground and roads are frozen thanks to two weeks of subfreezing temperatures. This could lead to additional icing on area roadways and cause traffic impacts” said NWS Science and Operations Officer Jim Sieveking.
MoDOT crews are planning to be fully staffed with more than 200 plow trucks ready to go from 7 a.m. Sunday into Monday afternoon.
“This is our first winter storm of the season that will require us to have 24-hour full staffing throughout the event. We will work diligently throughout the snow storm until the roads are completely clear,” said Assistant District Engineer Mark Croarkin.
Motorists are encouraged to pay close attention to weather conditions and avoid driving during freezing rain. Even treated roads that have salt will likely be icy as freezing rain hits the surface. For information on road conditions across the state, safe traveling tips, and other winter weather information, please visit www.modot.org.
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