Is it too late to put down salt after Kansas City snowfall? Tips for clearing sidewalks
Kansas City has received a lot of snow to start 2025, and residents across the metro have shoveled and used quite a few ice-melting products to keep their driveways and sidewalks clear.
People in different municipalities around Kansas City are required to shovel any snow on sidewalks adjacent to their property and while you may have already used salt before the snow started to fall, should you throw more salt on top of the snow and any ice that forms?
Salt helps melt the snow and keep ice from forming by dropping the water’s freezing point temperature, according to Scientific American. The salt helps block the ability of the water molecules to form solid ice crystals, which prevents the roads and sidewalks from becoming slippery.
If there is already snow and ice on the ground, it’s not too late to drop more. Its effectiveness drops, but it will help with getting rid of snow and ice, according to Dave Longley, a meteorologist for Syracuse, New York-based news station WSYR.
“The best times are before the precipitation arrives, and it is good to put some down after you finish shoveling or plowing,” Longley said. “By putting salt down after you’ve cleared your driveway and walkways, you can get ahead of the likely wet surface turning to ice as temperatures drop after sunset.
You can still throw salt on top of any snow or ice to help speed up the melting process and hope some sunshine comes down from the sky to assist, lifestyle magazine Southern Living says. You will want to shovel and clear any snow from your driveway and sidewalks before applying more salt to the area.
The sun will help because salting becomes far less effective when temperatures drop below 20 degrees, said Tracy Hinson, a meteorologist with St. Louis-based news station KSDK. She said that’s why the Missouri Department of Transportation’s road crews switched from using rock salt to calcium chloride or beet juice during colder temperatures.
Hinson also said putting salt down early just for any snowfall could risk melted snow refreezing and creating hidden ice underneath.
“It may be tempting to break out the snow blower you got for Christmas, but wait until the snow has ended,” Hinson said to KSDK. “Once the snow is over, shovel, plow, whatever you need to do. Then set salt down to keep from refreezing.”
