ST. LOUIS — With freezing rain in the forecast, everyone has their eyes on the road.
The Missouri Department of Transportation, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the National Weather Service and the Illinois Department of Transportation shared their plans for Monday's weather during Sunday's press conference.
Frigid mornings and single-digit temperatures have been the norm for St. Louis over the past few days.
"The last few events we've had, it's been snow and snow, you can see that on the roadways," Cpl. Dallas Thompson, Missouri State Highway Patrol, said.
While temperatures will be warmer than they have been, Michelle Forneris with MoDOT, said it could cause havoc for Monday morning's commute.
"Roads are going to get slick with any precipitation in these types of temperatures," she said.
Freezing rain is what's at stake.
Alex Elmore, St. Louis meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said with temperatures below freezing and moisture in the air, an unwelcome surprise could blanket the roads starting as early as 3 a.m. Monday.
"We are expecting a glaze of ice to be on any untreated surfaces, so travelers can expect hazardous road conditions," he said.
Preparation for Monday
That's why MoDOT is getting prepped now, according to Bob Becker, MoDOT St. Louis District Maintenance Engineer.
"We're going to have crews in as early as 7 this evening getting ready. We'll have all our trucks ready, make sure everything's good to go whenever this thing does start," he said.
Forneris said crews will be working 12-hour shifts, monitoring the roads all night, and putting treatment down before the rain arrives.
"With that, we do focus efforts on interstates, major routes, and then work down to the lettered and state numbered routes from there," she said.
Becker said the rain part of this leaves them with a lot of uncertainty.
"Our biggest concern right now are the rates of this precip that's going to come down and the length of time it's going to come down. So if either one of those are too long, it could wash our material off the roadway and cause some issues," Becker said.
Illinois Department of Transportation Engineer Joe Monroe said they loaded up several trucks with salt and brine at the end of last week in preparation.
Monroe said they will have trucks all along their assigned routes just after midnight to watch as the ice starts to form on nearby road signs giving them an indication of when to put down more treatment.
"This was one time where some of the holes in our coverage from staffing where we have to be very particular on when we start and how we attack the storm. Fortunately, if anyone's been out today, you can see just how much salt is on the pavement already. So we aren't real worried about pre-treatment at this time," Monroe said.
He said they are very focused on making sure the morning commute downtown is as safe as it possibly can be.
"We're going to do our absolute best to make sure you can get there and not only get there, we get there very safely," Monroe said.
Plan ahead
According to Cpl. Thompson, if you have to be out on the roads Monday morning, it's best to plan. That means make sure you have a full tank of gas and pack an emergency kit.
"Have an extra coat, hat, gloves, maybe another blanket with you in case something happens, and you find yourself stranded and you don't have a heat source," he said.
Ways to help
"Please slow down, allow yourself extra time, give plow operators plenty of room to work," Forneris said.
If possible, officials said the best thing you can do, is stay off the roads completely.
"If you can delay your start or stay home, start making those preparations. Stay home, stay warm and stay safe," Cpl. Thompson said.
Check traveler maps before you leave the house, click here for MoDOT and click here for IDOT.
Make sure to tune into Today in St. Louis Monday morning. Our team will be tracking the roads and give you everything you need to know before you head out the door for your morning commute.