County road crews keep eye out for snow, though white Christmas not likely
CENTER – Even though the first day of winter is Dec. 21, snow is a common sight in northeast Nebraska well before that date arrives each year.
That means county highway superintendents like Knox County’s Kevin Barta and Cedar County’s Carla Schmidt have their eyes on the skies – and weather forecasts – so they are aware of and prepared for snowy weather predictions.
“The weather forecast monitoring is first priority and is usually pretty accurate when it comes to winter snowstorms,” Barta said.
The same goes for Schmidt and the Cedar County Road Department’s employees as far as monitoring weather forecasts.
“We obviously pay attention to the weather forecast, and if a large storm is being forecast, we are all hands on deck,” Schmidt said.
Barta explained how the Knox County Road Department prepares for winter weather each year.
“Knox County has to check and go through all the equipment and make sure it is ready to go,” Barta said. “The motor graders need the wing mast installed on the machines and the snow wing attached.
“Snowplow trucks need snowplows and sander installed on the trucks,” he said. “Tires, lights, etc., all need checked on a routine basis. Make sure there is a good supply of salt/gravel mixture at each shed.”
Each Knox County district shop has its own snow routes to follow and the hard surface county roads usually get the first attention, especially if ice is developing.
“Everyone makes sure that machines are fully greased, full of fuel; replaces or repairs worn or broken items on machines; and does a detail inspection of their machine,” Barta said. “Then you wait to attack the storm.”
Knox County has seven district shops with one located in each of the following communities: Bloomfield, Center, Creighton, Crofton, Niobrara, Verdigre and Wausa.
Barta noted there are 19 road department employees who push snow and sand on more than 400 miles of hard surface and gravel roads in Knox County.
“All of the county shops have a mixed supply on hand of sand/ very fine gravel and salt,” Barta said. “Most of the shops have a covered open front building for salt/gravel storage. The only shop is Center that does not have covered storage.
“Depending on the winter, we will have to mix more salt and gravel through the winter season,” he said. “We also add some additional de-icing products to the mix to melt at a lower temperature and this usually comes in 50-pound bags to add to the mixture.”
Six of the seven Knox County shops have a snowplow truck with a sander unit on the back of a dump truck.
“Center again is the only shop with no (snowplow truck),” Barta said. “At Center, we have a sander unit that will go out when icy. At Center, we have only four miles of hard surface road to keep clear of ice and snow.
“Knox County has six snowplows and (is) awaiting a new unit to arrive to replace the aging truck at the Crofton shop,” he said. “The salt is very hard on the trucks rusting out.”
He noted Knox County also has 12 motor graders with snow-pushing equipment on each unit.
“This includes a front V-plow when needed and a snow wing to push snow further off of the road and down into the ditch,” Barta said. “Two of the 12 motor graders are actually spare units, but usually are out in bigger snowstorms to get roads cleared quicker.
“We also have five wheel loaders that can be used to push snow further back in deep drifted areas,” he said, adding the county has “a couple small dozers that can also be used for snow removal if it gets really deep. The wheel loaders are much handier with ease to getting them from site to site.”
Cedar County has six road department shops spread out among the following communities: Coleridge, Hartington, Laurel, Menominee, Randolph and Wynot.
Schmidt noted bus and mail routes in Cedar County are prioritized first for plowing snow.
“We have 23 guys total and 20 motor graders,” Schmidt said, noting each machine operator has their own snow route. “We put plows on each machine every winter for snow removal. We don’t have snowplow trucks like the state (Department of Transportation). We also use loaders to assist with snow removal, as necessary.”
Schmidt, who has been the Cedar County highway superintendent for 14 years, noted the county road department does not “use salt much at all since the vast majority of county roads are gravel.” “I don’t recall a specific winter being the worst,” Schmidt said. “Some years we move more snow than others.”
Barta has been the Knox County highway superintendent for 25 years, having started in the position in December 1998.
“I honestly cannot remember the worst year or snowstorm since I have been here at Knox County,” Barta said. “Seems like every year has different challenges. Some are more ice storms, some are more snow and blowing snow, etc. You know when the S-word is in the forecast, you have to be ready.
“At Knox County, we have a good work crew that is very good at getting ahead of storms with preparedness of equipment and supplies,” he said. “The county supervisors have done a great job in keeping the equipment in good condition and ready to get the job done.”
With snowy weather, one question that is often asked every holiday season is: What are the chances of a white Christmas here?
The National Weather Service defines a white Christmas as having one inch or more of snow on the ground on the morning of Dec. 25 for a winter wonderland.
According to historical data from the National Climatic Data Center, northeast Nebraska has a 40 to 60 percent probability of having a white Christmas in 2023.
The latest Dec. 25 weather forecast for the Wausa area this year is a high temperature in the upper 30s and a low temperature in the mid-20s with a more-than-50 percent chance of rain showers.
