McHenry County crews battle rain, possibly icy road conditions
WOODSTOCK, Ill. (CBS) – An ice storm warning has been in effect for McHenry County.
CBS 2's Jackie Kostek was in Woodstock all afternoon monitoring conditions.
That rain has been falling steadily all afternoon in McHenry County. So far, in Woodstock it hasn't transitioned into that hard falling freezing rain and because of that, the roadways are wet but, for the most part, haven't gotten that icy glaze yet.
Still, ice is forming on trees, signs and mailboxes.
CBS 2 caught up with the folks from the McHenry County Division of Transportation. They've been in preparation mode for a couple of days.
They said they have every salt truck out making continuous rounds in the county, treating 550 lane miles of roadway.
With the amount of moisture the system is bringing, Andrew Rose, maintenance superintendent of the McHenry County Division of Transportation, said the rain can wash away the salt, so some spots will be treated every two-and-a-half hours or so.
"Freezing drizzle is the most scariest thing out there, freezing rain," Rose said. "You can't see it. Cars come up to intersections and all of the sudden, you can't stop. So we have to be prepared for the worst. We're out there all night. We just have to continue to monitor roads and make sure roads stay safe to drive on."
He added no matter what happens with this weather system, crews are not going home until it passes.
"We don't if things are going to change when it gets dark out," he said. "Because right now temperatures are level. They're going to be 32 all night long. When it gets dark, will it get worse? Will we get more freezing drizzle? Will roads freeze up more? So maybe try to leave work a little early from work and take it extremely slow."
Rose's advice to drivers is to not be on the road if they don't have to be. And of course, take it slow if you do.
About 25 miles away in Lake County, the Lake Villa Fire Department was on scene responding to a downed power line which was covered in ice. Video shows slushy conditions on the roadway there.