Snow, Freezing Temps and Wind Heading Here

It's hard to discuss the following as the sun is shining and the temperature is 56 degrees, but according to local meteorologists, one to three inches of snow may fall across the St. Louis area by Thursday evening.

director of public works/city engineer Ryan Thomas said, "We hope not to have to treat the streets, since the pavement temperature remains above freezing, but have our various contractors on-call should conditions warrant salting."

KSDK is reporting snowfall will begin overnight and by sunrise approximately an inch will have fallen.

The KSDK meterologist update at 4:30 p.m. was that snowfall is not expected to arrive until after midnight.

KMOV reports that freezing temperatures are coming along with the snow. Temps around 20 degrees are reportedly expected Thursday, down from Wednesday's temperatures in the 50s. Gusting winds are expected to accompany the cold and snow, which KMOV reports will taper off around noon Thursday with flurries possible in the afternoon.

Eureka City Administrator Craig Sabo said a fairly straightforward protocol is followed for a winter weather event. "Based on their 24/7 presence, if our police make a determination that the roadways are approaching the point of being potentially hazardous, they dispatch our Public Works Department to plow, salt and otherwise treat them," he said.

Sabo said at 8 p.m. Wednesday when a severe event is known to be imminent—such as being viewed via weather radar some distance away but headed toward Eureka soon—Public Works Department employees normally stay after-hours so they don’t have to travel from their homes. 

In addition to eliminating response time, the logic is that if the weather quickly becomes severe, several of our employees may not be able to get here from their homes, said Sabo. 

"While our Public Works Department enhances the driving conditions of all public roads as efficiently and effectively as possible, based on their experience, they generally assign a higher priority to certain roadways or sections, such as those with steeper grades."

YOUR TURN:  How are you preparing for this winter cold spell when we got admittedly spoiled by warm, pleasant weather lately? Please post your response in the Patch Comments section below.

Eureka-Wildwood Patch editor Julie Brown Patton contributed to this article.