
Salt on Michigan Roads: Here’s When It Stops Working
Your body may have felt like it went into shock when you stepped outside this morning, with the temperature averaging around zero. I'm sorry to report that tomorrow won't be much better.
With temperatures that low, is it worth salting your sidewalks or sending salt trucks on Michigan’s roads to try melting the ice?
Some people may be surprised to learn that road salt becomes ineffective at extremely low temperatures. While it works well in most winter conditions, its effectiveness is limited when the cold becomes extreme.
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You see people on social media complaining all the time during extremely cold days that roads are still icy, wondering why the salt isn’t working or why the city isn’t 'doing its job.' The truth is, when it’s that cold, salt simply can’t do its job effectively, leaving road crews with limited options to deal with the ice.
At What Temperature Does Salt Stop Working on Michigan's Roads?
According to Cargill, salt can technically melt ice all the way down to its lowest effective limit, around -6°F. But in the real world and under normal circumstances, it’s not that simple. On highways and for deicing, salt is usually considered effective only when temperatures are above 15°F.
Thankfully, these freezing temps we’re enduring right now will only last a couple of days (for now, anyway). By Thursday, we’ll see temps climbing back into the 20s and 30s.
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