Keith Todd, KYTC
Tuesday, January 15, 2013 2:50 pm
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Some Kentucky highway crews are planning to pre-treat roadways in anticipation of winter precipitation this afternoon and tonight.
The National Weather Service has placed portions of Western Kentucky under a Winter Weather Advisory until 2:00 a.m., CST, Wednesday. An area of wintry mix that is expected to hit northwest Tennessee could move northward to impact a number of Kentucky counties. The forecast includes a chance of sleet, freezing rain, and/or snow south of a line from about Mayfield to near Owensboro.
Temperatures have risen to near 30 degrees allowing the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Christian County Highway Crew to pre-treat highways in the southern half of the county.
Lyon County and Trigg County are primarily focusing their pre-treating efforts primarily on bridges and overpasses. Other counties will be considering pre-treating if temperatures and other weather conditions allow.
Motorists should be alert for slow moving trucks as crews go about the pre-treating process.
Pre-treating involves spraying brine on road surfaces. The water evaporates, leaving behind a fine powder on the road surface to be activated by snow or other precipitation in the early hours of a winter event. Pre-treating requires a fairly specific set of conditions. The temperature has to be above 20 degrees Fahrenheit to keep the brine from freezing when it first hit the pavement. Rain in front of a winter weather event prevents pre-treating because the rain would wash it away before the winter precipitation starts.
Motorists are reminded to carefully monitor the local weather forecast for changes and updates whenever there is a potential for snow or ice.
Timely traffic advisories for the 12 counties of KYTC Highway District 1 are available by going to www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict1. You do not have to be a Facebook member to access this page.
Timely traffic advisories for the 11 counties of KYTC Highway District 2 are available by going to www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict2. You do not have to be a Facebook member to access this page.