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Washington County is bracing for impact as there is a potential for snow over the weekend that could make already tough traveling conditions worse.

Commissioner Mitch Antle said freezing temperatures are a big culprit for the slick road conditions because nothing has been able to melt off of the low traffic arterial roads. He said we may not be above freezing until Friday of next week.

Normally there are a few days where temperatures are above freezing and then there are a few days where the temperatures are above freezing. Commissioner Antle said the roads would then do what they're designed to do and shed whatever water is there, eventually making the roads passable. However, Antle said there is a lower traffic volume on the arterial streets, which doesn't have the same impact as the highways with a higher traffic volume on the materials they put down, basically breaking up the sheet of ice.

In other words the ice isn't breaking up on the arterial streets like it has on the highway because of the lower traffic volume and the extended period of freezing temperatures. Commissioner Antle said the roads are going to remain slick until we get above freezing, even with the amount of material that's put down. He said they've put down roughly 77.5 tons of material, which is about half a ton of material per mile of road.