TxDOT makes preparations for snow this weekend, City says it’s ready to deice roads

Several inches of snow is expected to fall Saturday and Sunday in the El Paso area.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), which maintains highways, tweeted Thursday morning that “TxDOT maintenance crews have pre-treated roads & overpasses. Trucks prepared & ready. Crews continue to monitor roadways.”

The City of El Paso released a statement saying the City is “prepared to carry out the community’s deicing plan for roadways to keep arterial streets clear as low temperatures and precipitation move into the region.”

“Keeping the main roadways clear for the traveling public is our priority during a weather event,” said Ted Marquez, Director of the city’s Streets and Maintenance Department. “We are staying vigilant and will continue to monitor weather conditions to respond appropriately.”

Crews from the city’s Streets and Maintenance Departmentwill spread sand and salt on roadway surfaces to keep ice from forming on them.

Priority will be given toarterial roadways, bridges and overpasses, especially those on routes to hospitals, fire houses and police stations.As part of standard procedures, response efforts will be coordinated with emergency management and state transportation partners, the City said in a statement.

To keep motorists safe during weather events, the City urges drivers to use extreme caution and maintain safe speeds and distances from other vehicles.The public is reminded that bridges and overpasses are typically the first to freeze.Freezing and thawing road surfaces can transition from wet to black ice in a matter of seconds and a drivers best defense is to stay alert, manage their speed and respond to advisory signs and reports.

If conditions become icy, motorists should stay off the roadways, if at all possible. Reduced traffic will allow emergency vehicles to move freely during the storm and help to ensure that roads are treated appropriately to combat icy conditions.

The StormTRACK Weather Team issued an ABC-7 First Alert for rainy, cold, windy, and even snowy weather forecast for the Borderland this weekend.

Today is warm and breezy with a low tonight in the low 40s.

Expect above average temperatures across the Borderland for Christmas with highs in the upper 60s and winds picking up.

The National Weather Service in El Paso issued a Winter Storm Watch this morning for Saturday evening through Sunday night.

Forecast models are calling for 3-7 inches of snow across lowlands.

Saturday expect the rain which likely will impact the Hyundai Sun Bowl.

Late Saturday into Sunday morning will be the snow event.

This won’t officially be considered a blizzard because A) the winds on Sunday won’t be as strong as what we’ve seen and B) Snow won’t be the thick dry snow that usually is picked up faster. However, blowing snow is possible!

Sunday and Monday look for temperatures 20 degrees below average.

Stay up to date on the changes to your StormTrack Weather forecast by following us on Facebook and Twitter. Send weather photos to weather@kvia.com and use the hashgtag KVIATV (#kviatv) on Instagram. Also use the hashtag #abc7firstalert for photos on Facebook and Twitter. Happy Holidays!