Despite higher than normal temperatures this week, local and state road agencies are preparing in the event that this weekend's cold front brings freezing rain or snow.
While snow and ice may not yet be on the radar for West Virginia drivers, Saturday's weather forecast suggests it's time to start preparing.
Charleston's forecast on Saturday projects a 70 percent chance of rain. As temperatures drop through Saturday night to a low of 31 degrees, there's a chance that rain could turn into snow between then and Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
Both the Charleston Street Department and state Department of Transportation are fully stocked with thousands of tons of road salt ahead of winter.
"We always get a little nervous with the first snow for the Kanawha Valley, because you kind of forget how to drive in it," said Carrie Jones, spokeswoman for the Department of Transportation.
What many people don't realize, she said, is that the department doesn't lay road salt on streets and highways ahead of snow events.
"It serves no purpose, because it will get blown off - salt needs moisture to react," Jones said.
Instead, they distribute brine - a mix of salt, water and sometimes other components such as limestone or sand - but that's generally only done in the state's more mountainous areas.
"We try to get the salt down right when precipitation starts, so it can get moist and start to react," Jones said. "The best temperatures for salt to work in is when we have some sun, and temperatures are about 20 degrees."
Charleston's street department doesn't pre-treat roads, either.
"Pre-salting, in our opinion, is a waste of money," said Director of Public Works Gary Taylor. "We have people out 24 hours a day watching the roads, whether it's rain, snow, whatever."
While they're keeping an eye on weather conditions this weekend, Taylor said the street department is "not expecting a whole lot to happen."
"There's a possibility of some ice in some spots, [but] we're understanding the road and ground temperatures are up so high, even with the cold weather, it will take quite a bit to cause any road conditions in the valley," Taylor said.
They still have a few salt trucks loaded just in case, he added.
Both the city and DOT are stocked up on road salt for the coming winter.
Charleston has about 7,000 tons of salt and 16 full-sized dump trucks to distribute it, Taylor said.
"We went through all the equipment [and] did dry runs, now all we do is sit here and wait," he said.
As of Nov. 13, the DOT had more than 202,000 tons of salt ready for the state's roads, which is replenished as needed through the winter, Jones said.
Last season, tracked from October 2015 through April, the department used about 207,000 tons of salt. That cost the department nearly $50 million, Jones said.
Reach Elaina Sauber at elaina.sauber@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-3051 or follow @ElainaSauber on Twitter.