An inside look at how Detroit Metro Airport preps for a winter storm
(CBS DETROIT) - When it comes to inclement weather and traveling, a lot can change in a short period of time.
A major concern for Wayne County Airport Authority officials is snow and ice.
They say technicians are on standby 24/7, constantly watching the snow, ice and pavement temperatures because those indicators can determine if there will be changes to your flight.
"We run a multi-function piece of equipment," said Wayne County Airport Authority director of maintenance Joe McCabe. "It essentially does three functions in one piece of equipment. It's got a plow blade on the front, a broom in the middle and then air blast in the backend of it.
Last week, heavy, wet snow called for DTW to shut down operations.
Officials say every weather event is different and will be taken on a case-by-case basis to figure if it will impact your flight.
"You'll also see those blowers out there too," McCabe said. "You need those blowers to start blowing that excess snow from the ridges that the plows cause into the grassy areas because our whole goal out there is to maintain a wet pavement surface out there, so we don't have any residual snow ridges or clumps out there."
