Weather conditions on Wednesday morning will likely make for a morning commute full of delays, spinouts and crashes.
Another two to four inches of snow is expected to fall between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. Wednesday with temperatures in the teens. Road salt is most effective to temperatures of roughly 20 degrees, meaning that any salt that is spread likely won't do all that much good.
In Chicago, the Department of Streets and Sanitation uses a mixture of sugar beet byproducts and liquid salt brine to make the salt work more effectively at lower temperatures.
Additionally, snow-fighting equipment out at that time will also be competing with increasing morning traffic as commuters head out to start their days.
Metra officials said preparations were already taking place to ensure commuters can get to where they need to go as smoothly as possible.
"We have heaters near critical switches to keep them warm and operational and prevent ice buildup, but some of them can be extinguished by high winds so our personnel have to watch for that," said spokesman Michael Gillis. "Of course if there is any accumulation of snow we will have people in the field to shovel and salt platforms, and we will be working to keep our yards clear so there are no problems getting trains in and out."
The snow should be completely out of the area by midday Wednesday, but that's going to be followed by some of the coldest air we've seen so far this season.
Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/traffic/transit/chicago-weather-december-11-2013-235248951.html#ixzz2n6GKrq1Q
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