Clark County crews prep for winter weather conditions

VANCOUVER, Wash. (KOIN) — The potential for a variety of different winter weather conditions is expected to hit the region over the next few days.

In Southwest Washington, Clark County snow removal crews will have their eye on the sky Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, monitoring real-time weather conditions.

“We’re really not expecting a lot of impact to the morning commute here closer to the urban area, but that could be a really different story up in the hills in Battleground,” said Kaley McLachlan-Burton from Clark County Public Works.

Snow fell and stuck to the ground in downtown Vancouver, January 9, 2024 (KOIN)
Snow fell and stuck to the ground in downtown Vancouver, January 9, 2024 (KOIN)

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Plows and other equipment are spread out at six locations throughout Clark County so crews can respond accordingly to the differing snow patterns.

Snow falls and starts to accumulate along I-5 near the ilani Casino in Ridgefield, Washington, January 9, 2024 (KOIN ilani Webcam)
Snow falls and starts to accumulate along I-5 near the ilani Casino in Ridgefield, Washington, January 9, 2024 (KOIN ilani Webcam)

“We’re definitely anticipating that the crews and the maintenance locations up in the northern parts of the county are definitely going to need to respond. It is more likely they’re going to need to respond to winter weather conditions in the morning versus our crews that are down here closer to the urban area,” McLachlan-Burton said.

As the winter weather is expected to continue into the weekend, plows and deicer trucks will be making laps on the main roadways.

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“Sometimes the snow is falling too fast the ice is accumulating too fast. It may seem like we haven’t touched that road but we’ve done several passes there. We want people to know we’re out there. We’re working as fast as we can, as much as we can to keep the roads clear and passable and safe, but be patient,” McLachlan-Burton said.

Officials say to be prepared with the county’s weather and road updates, give yourself extra time and stay home if travel isn’t essential.

In the event that SW Washington gets extremely severe weather over the weekend, crews will switch to a 24/7 schedule.

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