Cape, Jackson preparing for snow forecast

The first significant snowfall of the year is forecast this weekend throughout Southeast Missouri, and it may trigger hazardous road conditions according to the National Weather Service.

On Thursday afternoon, a winter weather warning was issued for Cape Girardeau and surrounding areas from 3 p.m. today through midnight, and the cities of Cape Girardeau and Jackson had begun preparations.

Late Thursday afternoon, Jackson officials issued a snow route proclamation in anticipation of the weather system, and said preparations had begun.

Residents who live along the designated snow route2 were given 24 hours from 5 p.m. Thursday to move their vehicles from the roadway to allow for plowing, the proclamation stated.

Vehicles are subject to ticketing if still parked along the routes after 5 p.m. today.

Stacy Pennebaker shuts off a valve while filling a brine truck Thursday at the Cape Girardeau City Public Works Department in anticipation of snow from an approaching winter weather system. The brine is used to pre-treat roads.TYLER GRAEF

The proclamation will end when the storm is over, streets have been cleared and the city has notified media outlets.

In Cape Girardeau, the public works department had begun preparing roads.

The system, according to Ashley Ravenscraft of the Nationals Weather Service Forecast Office of Paducah, Kentucky, may include a wintry mix of sleet and rain at times, with an expected snow accumulation of 2 to 3 inches, she said, with northern counties experiencing more, possibly around 4 inches.

"Things have trended a little farther north [Thursday], and if that trend continues, that means some of the snowfall totals could go down," Ravenscraft said.

Late this evening and overnight, she expects to see a "quick hit" of snow within Cape Girardeau County.

And within a couple hours -- and factoring in overnight travel temperatures near freezing — the weather system could pose threatening to drivers, she explained.

"That's the main concern there," Ravenscraft said. "Once we get into Saturday morning, we're expecting a transition over to rain as temperatures warm to above freezing."

Overnight Saturday and into Sunday morning, there's another chance of a transition back into snow, she said, "but we're really not expecting much in the way of further accumulation with that."

"But this could change," she said.

City of Cape Girardeau traffic operations manager Andrew Stone said the city is prepared for the snow.

Ten pickups, eight dump trucks and two brine trucks were out in full force and will be through the weekend patrolling and preparing Cape Girardeau roads -- within seven different zones -- according to Stone.

"We began running our salt brine trucks as an advanced measure before the storm, and we will continue to run those through [Friday]," he said.

Thursday afternoon, the City of Cape Girardeau public works department was making sure the needed equipment was still working from the last time, Stone said.

"We will be putting our plows on, so that way we will be ready for [this] afternoon and evening," Stone said, "As always, we're monitoring the weather closely."

City of Jackson administrative services director Rodney W. Bollinger said in an email Thursday afternoon Jackson public works crews will be out [today] pre-treating major roads in preparation for the potential snow.

He said by the end of the day, more than 1,500 gallons (of salt brine mixture and beet juice) will have been applied to snow routes, bridges, hills, and other targeted areas in Jackson.

Bollinger added, "This will be followed up with the use of rock salt and plowing by the Street Department during the winter weather event."

jhartwig@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632