Illinois Road Crews Ready for Freezing Rain Expected in Weekend Storm

For Wayne Aldrich, public works director in Normal, Illinois, potential ice storms can cause a lot of stress.

“It’s tough because no one really seems to have a definite idea of what is going to happen,” he said. “An ice storm is the worst kind of storm you have to deal with, so when the potential for one is in the forecast, it is of interest to us.”

Forecasters with the National Weather Service in Lincoln say a system is moving through the area that will bring a couple of chances for some freezing rain this weekend.

Some rain could arrive Jan. 13 and continue on and off through Jan. 15.

The Weather Service already has issued a winter storm watch from late Jan. 14 through late Jan. 15 for much off Central Illinois.

“As of right now, it doesn’t appear that the ice accumulations will be heavy in the Bloomington-Normal area,” said Chuck Schaffer, a meteorologist with the Weather Service. “On Friday night and Saturday morning, we are looking at maybe 0.1 of an inch, and that might diminish quickly Saturday because our high is expected to be 33 degrees. Of course, a temperature change of only a few degrees could change things either way.”

A couple of degrees Fahrenheit could mean the difference between a dangerous buildup of ice and just rain with wet roads.

Ameren, Illinois, opened its Emergency Operations Center on Jan. 13 to coordinate efforts to restore power outages that may occur as a result of the storm.

“When you live in Illinois, you have to be prepared,” said Bloomington Public Works Director Jim Karch, who reported that his crews also were ready. “Things can change on an hourly basis.”

Unlike sleet, freezing rain is liquid on the way down but freezes on contact with cold surfaces as it enters a shallow layer of temperatures at or below 32 degrees near the ground. This condition creates a dangerous glaze of ice on roads, walkways, trees and power lines, and the fact that it is still liquid hitting the ground also can make treating pavement trickier.

“You just have to adjust to what you have,” Aldrich said. “The temperature is warm enough that salt works on the streets. However, if it is a heavy rain, the salt can get washed away quickly, so you have to use the minimal amount, but you want enough on the ground so it takes effect.”

The worst part of the storm is expected to begin Saturday night, Schaffer said.

“Bloomington-Normal is on the northern edge of that system, and we have a chance of freezing rain,” he said. “We will hit a low of about 24 degrees, and then it will warm up on Sunday and we will have a better chance of rain Sunday afternoon.”

Ice accumulations up to 0.25 of an inch are possible.

All area road crews will be on alert along with the Illinois Department of Transportation. Crews have been pretreating bridges, overpasses and ramps — the areas most susceptible to icing — in advance of the expected freezing rain, Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn said in a news release. More than 3,700 employees and 1,700 trucks will be available statewide to battle the winter storm this weekend, applying salt where needed.

“We will be out making sure the roads are as safe as possible, but icy conditions may make roads slick this weekend,” he said. “Give our crews plenty of room to work, and please slow down if you will be driving.”

Ameren, Illinois, and Corn Belt Energy employees also will be called into action if there are any power outages, officials from both companies said Jan. 12.