City of Augusta Placed in Winter Storm Warning by National Weather Service

Posted on February 16, 2022

The City of Augusta has been placed in a Winter Storm Warning by the National Weather Service beginning Thursday, February 17th at 12:00am until Thursday, February 17th at 6:00pm. Predictions call for mixed precipitation changing to snow. Total snow accumulations of 6 to 8 inches and ice accumulations of around one tenth of an inch are expected for Butler County. Isolated pockets of snow greater than 8 inches are possible. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph are expected, which will likely cause drifting and poor visibility. Snowfall rates of one to two inches per hour will be possible Thursday morning. The timing of the heaviest precipitation rates is expected from 4:00am to noon on Thursday.

Because the forecast calls for rain at the beginning of the storm, Street crews will NOT pre-treat the roads with brine. The rain is expected to transition to freezing rain and sleet around 2:00am, which will cause surfaces to get slick. Freezing rain and sleet will then transition to snow between 5:00am and 6:00am. Road conditions will likely be hazardous Thursday morning that will impact the morning commute. Please plan accordingly and stay home if possible. If you must be out on the roads, drive with extreme caution, leave earlier than normal, and give yourself plenty of distance. The combination of gusty winds and the weight of the snow and ice may also cause power outages.

A two-man Street crew will begin working at 2:00am to treat the streets when the freezing rain and sleet begins to fall, and then begin plowing operations when the precipitation transitions to snow. Plow operations will focus on the Emergency Snow Routes and the overpass. The Parks Division will assist Streets with plowing operations and will also clear surfaces at the Augusta Senior Center and the Augusta Public Library. Due to extremely cold temperatures forecasted for Thursday night/Friday morning, Street crews will not work overnight as it will be too cold to have any beneficial impact on the frozen streets. A full street crew will resume Friday morning and, with higher daytime temperatures working in our favor, will continue to clear any remaining snow on the Emergency Snow Routes. As the weather conditions change, the Street Division will adjust our response plan accordingly. Please remember to give the snowplows plenty of distance so they can do their job to make our streets as safe as possible and to prevent damage to vehicles as they spread a salt/sand mixture. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to make Augusta streets as safe as possible.