After what has been a quiet winter this season, the Miami Valley could be up for a rude awakening Tuesday morning when as much as 6 inches of snow could be on the ground for the morning commute.
The National Weather Service announced Sunday evening that a Winter Storm Watch is in effect for the Miami Valley including Greene County. A storm the weather service expects to begin Monday evening is expected to drop 4-6 inches of snow in the area through Tuesday morning.
A Winter Storm Watch means conditions are favorable for severe winter weather conditions within 36 hours. The National Weather Service could downgrade the area to a Winter Storm Warning Monday.
The expected storm will coincide with colder temperatures. On the backside of the storm system, low temperatures below zero are possible. The combination of a significant snow and cold temperatures could cause havoc for road crews. The colder the temperature, the more salt loses its effectiveness to melt snow.
With cold temperatures and local towns short on salt, expect many roads to be untreated Tuesday. Fairborn Public Services Manager Sean Sink said when temperatures drop into the teens, it takes four times the amount of salt to have the same effectiveness as when temperatures are around 30 degrees.
The city of Fairborn is responsible for most of the roads leading to Wright State's campus. With Fairborn receiving only 80 percent of the salt it needs to get through an average winter, road crews will be selective on how it will attack winter storms according to Sink.
"We plan on no salting in the housing area unless it is on a substantial hill or a problem curve," Sink said.
Sink said the town will be using beet juice to mix with salt in efforts to conserve salt this winter.
