The Chicago area isn’t dealing with the remnants of a massive snowfall, but rather a much different type of winter weather: extreme cold.
While accumulating snow is possible in the coming days, Friday delivered feels-like temperatures as low as -35 and -40 degrees.
Air temperatures weren’t much higher. Readings at just before 8 a.m. clocked in at -11, making it one of the coldest mornings since 2019, NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alicia Roman said.
Such brutally cold conditions have raised questions: Do I need to start my car? Should I make my faucet drip? And does salt work on roads in the bitter cold?
Unfortunately, putting rock salt on your driveway won’t do anything during extreme cold spells.
Road salt quits working below 15 degrees, according to Brody Chemical, a Utah-based chemical manufacturing company.
“Push below that mark, and your road salt effective temp plummets faster than a rock off a cliff,” the company said on its website. “Surfaces stay slick no matter how much you dump on them.”
So, why doesn’t salt work?
Ice crystals form faster when it’s very cold, overwhelming salt’s ability to interfere, according to the chemical company. On top of that, salt needs moisture to start working — but frozen surfaces often lack enough humidity.
Even it’s not exactly 15 degrees, road salt may not perform well; it struggles badly under 20 degrees according to the company.
Salt’s ineffectiveness can lead to dangerous situations on the road.
Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield shared an image of a crash that occurred along Interstate 94 as snow began to fall, noting the interstate was “frozen.”
“Salt will not work at these sub-zero temperatures!” he emphasized.
The message comes after transportation officials in Indiana and Illinois issued warnings about dangerous conditions.
In a post on Friday afternoon, the Indiana Department of Transportation’s Northwest office said it had already seen significant travel impacts caused by lake-effect snow. Residents were urged to take extra precautions and drive in accordance with the conditions.
The Illinois Department of Transportation, meanwhile, in a social media post, said heavy snow, extreme cold, and dangerous wind chills will create hazardous travel conditions.
“IDOT crews will be out in full force through the weekend, and our Emergency Traffic Patrol will be fully staffed,” the department said.
IDOT urged drivers to avoid unnecessary travel and check gettingaroundillinois.com for road condition information before hitting the road.
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