AMES, Iowa – Oct. 15, 2025 – Weather in Iowa can change fast. During the fall season, one day can be warm and sunny, the next can be wet with heavy snow that impacts roadways and tests early winter driving skills. But one thing is certain - winter is coming and it’s time to prepare. Today marks the Iowa Department of Transportation’s first official day of winter. That means our equipment, supplies, and plans are in place for future weather shifts and winter precipitation.
Our goal is to keep the DOT’s 24,613 (FY 2025) lane miles as clear and safe as possible and give drivers the information needed to make smarter, safer travel decisions. Here’s what Iowans can do to get ready.
How drivers can prepare for winter
- Winterize your vehicle - To minimize the possibility of a breakdown and getting stranded, tune up your vehicle. Check your vehicle’s wipers, hoses, battery, alternator, belts, tires, brakes, exhaust system, lights, and fluid levels. Make sure your vehicle’s heater and defroster are in good working order and you travel with plenty of gas in your tank. A breakdown is frustrating on a good day but can be dangerous during wintery weather.
- Stock a winter survival kit in your vehicle - This kit should contain items to help sustain your life and the lives of your passengers should your vehicle become stranded during inclement weather. These items may include booster cables; a flashlight with fresh batteries; extra blankets and warm clothes; nonperishable, high-calorie food items; candles, matches, and a can for melting snow for drinking water; and a snow shovel. Sufficient supplies should be in the kit for all persons traveling in the vehicle. Carrying a mobile phone and charger in your vehicle is also advised for use during an emergency.
- Use 511 technology to see current conditions - The winter road conditions legend has been updated to include pavement that is “Partially Covered with Ice” and “Completely Covered with Ice” and is visible on www.511ia.org. Along with layers that show images directly from the windshields of our snowplows and stationary cameras along the roadside, motorists can determine whether it is safe to travel now or if you should postpone your trip.
- Slow down for the cloud – When you see a “snow cloud” that is impacting visibility on the roadway, it’s typically a snowplow, and it’s often traveling much slower than you. Consider it a warning to slow down and get a good read on the cloud’s speed, then create a very safe distance from it. A total of 36 snowplows were struck last winter – including 15 in a single day in February. The majority of these crashes were rear-end/sideswipes. When these occur, it takes important snow-fighting equipment off the road, forcing other plows in the area to extend their routes. It’s very important that drivers give crews plenty of room to work.
- Kick your winter driving skills into gear – Before the first snowfall and slick roads, take time to refresh and adjust your driving behaviors.
- Wear your seat belt. Every trip, every time.
- Turn off the cruise control. Cruise control does not allow drivers to let off the accelerator if hitting a slick spot, making it more difficult to maintain control.
- Adjust your speed for conditions. Speed limits are set for ideal driving conditions. Winter weather can create hazards that require slower speeds. Remember these simple slogans, “Ice and Snow … Take It Slow” and “Don’t Crowd the Plow.”
- Increase traveling distance. Put more distance and car lengths between yourself and vehicles and/or snowplows in front of you to avoid tailgating which can reduce the ability to stop before a collision.
- Slow down and take it easy. On slick pavements your driving maneuvers need to be gradual and smooth, so you do not skid or spin. Change lanes or turn with graceful movements, begin braking sooner gently increasing pressure on the pedal, and give yourself more room around other cars to allow for everyone’s reduced ability to stop or maneuver.
How the Iowa DOT has prepared
Our people and equipment – The department’s 100 maintenance garages employ 1,072 full-time equipment operators, mechanics, and supervisors, and are in the process of hiring up to 633 temporary employees this winter season, to keep the agency's 910 trucks, 40 motor graders, 33 tow plows, and 10 heavy-duty, self-propelled snowblowers on the road during winter weather.
District garage mechanics are busy doing 150-point checks from the plow blades to the salt spinner of each snow truck in their fleet. These checks are done now so that any repairs can be trucks hit the road. Garages are also conducting snow and ice removal training for new operators and refresher training for veteran drivers.
Interested in helping clear your community as a part-time snowfighter? There are positions across the state and pay is $22.00/hr. for new hires and $23.50 for returning drivers. Learn more about these positions and apply today.
The materials we use – The Iowa DOT has spent the warmer months stocking salt in our storage facilities for use during the winter. Buying during the spring and summer allows us to obtain better pricing because demand is low. On average, the Iowa DOT uses more than 101,000 tons of salt and nearly 25 million gallons of brine each year to help maintain safe travel on the primary highway system, consisting of interstate, U.S., and Iowa routes.
The Iowa DOT primarily uses salt brine, a simple solution of standard rock salt and water, to help with winter roadway maintenance. It can be used to pretreat roadways before a storm, thus preventing snow and ice from bonding to the pavement. Brine is also used to prewet salt before it leaves the truck, increasing its ability to melt snow and ice and helping keep it on the roadway surface.
As the temps drop at night you may see Iowa DOT trucks out spraying brine on sunny days. Frost is a major safety factor this time of year. The Iowa DOT’s proactive approach of spraying brine on areas prone to frost prevents the formation of an icy layer, which typically occurs on cold, clear nights. Frost is hard to see on the road’s surface and most people don’t expect it. These unexpected encounters with a frost-covered bridge or roadway can be particularly treacherous when traveling at higher rates of speed, making it more difficult to maintain control of your vehicle.
DOT winter driving resources
Motorists are urged to monitor weather and road conditions before traveling – stay informed and plan ahead – road condition information is available from the resources listed below.
- Web: Visit the Iowa 511 website at www.511ia.org.
- 511 app: Download the Iowa 511 mobile app for Apple and Android devices. Search for “Iowa 511” in your device’s app store. Mobile devices should only be used when parked and off the traveled portion of the roadway.
- E-mail/Text Message/Push Notifications: Receive winter road closure and other travel advisories directly in your inbox or mobile phone. Visit www.511ia.org to subscribe to “My Reports,” customizable to the route(s) you plan to travel or the highway you use for your daily commute.
- Phone: When in Iowa call 511, or 800-288-1047 from outside of Iowa.
- Dynamic message boards: National Weather Service warnings are posted on the dynamic message boards displayed above or along interstates at key locations throughout the state. When necessary, interstate closure information is also made available on these signs.
- X (Twitter): See statewide tweets when you follow 511 Twitter https://x.com/statewideia511
- Facebook: To see information we post to Facebook, “like” and “follow” the statewide 511 page or one of five regional pages https://iowadot.gov/511/511-social-media-sites
For more information about winter preparedness and the Iowa DOT's snow and ice control program, check the Iowa DOT's winter safety website.
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Contact: Craig Bargfrede at 515-290-2713 or craig.bargfrede@iowadot.us