“Monday Morning Alert: Prepare for a Likely Frozen Drizzle on Your Commute!”

All travelers in Madison should exercise extreme caution during the morning commute on Monday, December 23, and you should stay vigilant throughout the afternoon as well. Predictions indicate a possibility of freezing drizzle starting as early as 3am and persisting throughout the day. Streets Division teams will be active, but you should still anticipate encountering an icy layer on roads, bridges, sidewalks, and pathways as a result of this weather.

Some predictions we are observing this evening indicate that freezing drizzle might commence between 3:00am and 5:00am Monday morning, with adverse weather continuing into the afternoon.

Streets Division vehicles will be deployed overnight in preparation for this storm, applying salt to primary routes as necessary. Crews will remain on the roads during the entire day.

Residential streets that have a compacted layer of snow may become particularly slippery with this type of precipitation. Bridges, which are typically cooler than other road surfaces, are also expected to be icier than other sections due to the freezing drizzle.

It is imperative that you are careful while traveling through Madison on Monday. Be ready for difficult travel conditions and make prudent decisions.

If the precipitation we are anticipating arrives as freezing drizzle rather than snow, an icy layer will likely form on our roads, sidewalks, and pathways. To navigate them safely, you will need to be slow, predictable, attentive, and patient. Allow yourself ample extra travel time to avoid rushing. Maintain a safe distance from others. Anticipate your stops and turns to prevent sliding. Remember that four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive can aid in gaining traction in slippery conditions, but they do not assist in stopping on slick surfaces.

Streets Division personnel will be observing the roads and weather conditions. Operations will adapt as necessary based on the situation.

One final note: Remember that this week the Streets Division will not be offering curbside waste collection and drop-off services on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You can find the Streets Division trash and recycling schedule on our website. On our page, you can also enroll to receive notifications about collection delays due to holidays and severe weather.