Snow hits DeKalb County right on schedule Thursday, as officials ask residents to stay off roads

SYCAMORE – The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office is asking folks to stay off the roads Friday because of the snow, strong winds and wind chills lower than 20 below zero brought on by the winter storm that started Thursday.

DeKalb County Sheriff Andy Sullivan said the “light fluffy snow” in the county is going to cause visibility problems on the roadways, particularly in the rural areas. Sullivan said high winds will reduce visibility significantly and “at some points it could be zero visibility.”

“Obviously, if you don’t have to go anywhere, if you’re able to stay at your house, that would be the recommended choice so everybody can stay safe within in their home, if they’re able to do so,” Sullivan said.

Nathan Schwartz, county engineer and head of the DeKalb County Highway Department, said the county’s fleet of snowplows went out to clear the roads around noon Thursday. He said the crews would plow for as long as they could but they still needed to be brought in at a reasonable time Thursday night so they’re rested for Friday.

“That’s just not safe to be driving for 24 hours straight,” Schwartz said. “We only have one shift of drivers and so we have to give them a break for safety reasons and common sense.”

With only one shift of drivers available to clear snow, there’s inevitably a period of time during wintry nights where no plows are operating on DeKalb County highways, he said.

“So obviously they’re going to be off in the middle of the night and then they’ll be back on in the wee hours of the morning,” Schwartz said. “And so they can usually make a full pass before the rush hour traffic, a full pass on all the roads, all the county highways before the rush hour traffic hits them.”

Schwartz said whiteout conditions from the anticipated strong winds could put everyone off county highways, including the snowplow crew.

“If the winds are strong enough, and there is enough blowing snow, and it’s a true whiteout condition, everybody – including the snowplow drivers – can’t see,” Schwartz said. “If we can’t see the road directly in front of us, we will pull off the road until it is safe to get back up.”

Those who live in cities or subdivisions that have a lot of buildings and shrubbery might find road conditions to be more manageable, but Schwartz warned against venturing too far from home.

“As soon as you get out in the country, those 50 mile-per-hour winds are blowing like crazy and creating snow drifts and snow packed, icy conditions. So don’t be fooled by road conditions in town and think you can get to the next town over, because that’s not always the case during high wind events,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz said it’s easy to drive into a bad spot on the road, “even on a road that seems perfectly clear.”

“So always be aware, even if the road appears to be in good condition,” Schwartz said.

If you do have to travel on Friday, Sullivan said it’s important to let someone know your route of travel, the time that you leave and where your destination is.

“So have a plan in place, make sure your gas tank is full, you have a charged cellphone, and maybe some extra clothing and blankets in the car with you incase you do end up in the ditch,” he said. “But we see if every year, there’s numerous cars in the ditch each year that we’ll respond to and we’ll continue to do that.”