Salt, calcium and beet juice.
Those are just some of the chemicals used by Columbus' Snow Warriors plow team to treat roadways.
Columbus' Snow Warriors and other city and county plow teams are still working to clear the three to five inches of snow central Ohio received Sunday night with another one to two inches falling Monday afternoon.
Forecaster Kristen Cassady with the National Weather Service in Wilmington said the snow is expected to halt Monday evening, but wind gusts are causing difficult travel conditions in Columbus by blowing the snow back onto area roads. Forecasts over the weekend held the possibility of a wintry mix, leading to icier conditions, but that part of the storm system stayed largely south of the Ohio River.
"The good news is that the light snow will actually taper off by late afternoon into this evening. So we won't have any new snow falling, but you will continue to see some patchy, blowing snow even after the snow comes to an end," Cassady said.
That has made snow removal and Monday commutes somewhat easier for those braving the frigid roads.
Cassady said people should avoid traveling Monday because of these conditions.
"If you have to be out on the roads, just take it slow. You know, of course, give the crews plenty of room to work and to do their thing. But if at all possible, tomorrow will be a better day to travel," Cassady said.
Columbus' plow team team works in 12-hour shifts, tackling main roadways like High Street, Broad Street and Morse Road before heading into the neighborhoods.
Columbus Department of Public Safety spokesman Charles Newman said the lack of rain and ice has helped to make the snow easier to deal with.
"(Those conditions) kind of deters us a little bit because that wet precipitation turns into ice. So for us, it is a little bit better suited that we don't have to deal with those slicker conditions that could have came instead of a more solid snow," Newman said.
Newman said by noon, 50% of the roads in Columbus had seen a snow plow at least once. He said residential streets should see some relief soon.
"Residents should expect within the early evening to start seeing trucks rolling through the neighborhood. Like I said, we begin in some of the hard hit areas that kind of accumulate a little bit more snow in the southern portion of the city," Newman said.
And yes, Newman said part of the mixture that helps the Snow Warriors treat roadways is beet juice. The juice from the vegetables is used to pre-treat roads before a storm.
@columbuspublicservice ❄️ Snow is here, and that means the Snow Warriors are out in full force cleaning the streets for us. Let’s give them space to work their magic. Watch out for those plows and salt trucks — they’re making our winter journeys safe! #SnowWarriors #WinterSafety #RoadClearing #StaySafe #WinterWonderland #CommunityHeroes #WinterDrivingTips #SnowPlows #SaltTrucks #PublicService #WinterReady #SafeTravel #SnowSeason
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The Columbus Department of Public Service posted a TikTok video this week introducing some of its plow team. The video also comically featured a worker holding the nozzle for the beet juice at one of their facilities.
"The beet juice, what we found out, sticks to the pavement a lot better. So what we found is applying that beet juice pre-treat before the storm will come. It does a better job of holding on to the pavement in the cold temperatures," Newman said.
Newman said salt and other chemicals are also used before and after storms to help remove ice and snow.
