DPS warns of impending winter weather

SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Department of Public Safety is cautioning motorists about today's impending winter weather. So far the area has received some moderate rain on ground saturated from the last snow event. Rain continues to fall at a steady pace and is predicted to transition to sleet sometime between 10 a.m. and noon. The different models are inconclusive on how long the sleet should last but it is likely this will be turning to snow sometime midafternoon. Snow is predicted to fall until early Thursday morning. Predicted snow totals are likely to be around 5-7 inches with some areas possibly in the 7-9 inches if the sleet transitions to snow sooner than expected.

DPS said city residents should use caution while driving during the initial rain. It appears that most of the city drains are keeping up with the rainfall but there is some light flooding on Davis Street south of Salcedo. Remember, the ground is saturated and should the rainfall increase more flooding could arise.

Once the rain transitions to sleet, Sikeston Public Works will begin their salt distribution on city streets. We can't begin this prematurely because the salt will just wash away in the rain. This means a lot needs to be done right away once the ice begins. However, with the three new snow plows the city is probably more ready than it has been in 15 years. They have a total of five trucks that are ready to go. The three new ones have double the fuel capacity and double the salt capacity; this means more time on the streets and less time off of them.

Public Works have already begun adjusting manpower to a 12 hour schedule to keep up with this winter event. They will be focusing on the more heavily traveled routes in the city and areas prone to accidents such as intersections, hills, and curves. Please remember residential areas will be done last. You can go to the city webpage to see the snow removal priority order at:

http://www.sikeston.org/departments/public_works/snow_removal.php