Hey, was that a Kane County Division of Transportation snow plow I just saw driving down the road?

Yep. On Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, even though there isn’t snow, there are plows.

“No, we are not expecting snow today, but yes, there will be KDOT snow plows out,” Kane County Director of Transportation Carl Schoedel said. “The forecast is showing a strong possibility of snow by Saturday, so we want to be prepared.”

The National Weather Service forecast for Kane County, IL, on Saturday calls for partly sunny skies with a high near 31 … and a 40 percent chance of snow.

KDOT just got done with its annual “Snow & Ice Procedures” briefing with the maintenance employees. Supervisors went over adjustments to the routes and truck assignments and a quick refresher on the typical snow and ice procedures. Construction staff briefed everybody on the status of construction projects and changes they can expect to see on their routes.

Starting soon, you will see the snow plows out on their routes doing a “dry run,” Schoedel said. The purpose is to exercise the equipment, do a radio check, make sure everything is working properly, train new drivers, and re-familiarize the experienced drivers with their assignments.

The dry run is appropriate, as well, because this week (Nov. 15-21) is Winter Weather Preparedness Week!