FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): The City of Fort Wayne says they are preparing for the winter storm that is being forecasted Wednesday through Friday of this week.

Crews with the street department are checking the fleet and are ready to begin snow removal when needed. City officials say pretreating the roads with a de-icing brine to reduce ice formations is likely not an option due to the prediction of rain before the snow is set to begin, which would wash away anything applied to the roads.

Crews will plow around the clock throughout the predicted snow storm, and officials urge citizens to be patient and avoid traveling on the streets while crews are plowing. Salt will not be applied until the streets are cleared.

The city is divided into 18 snow routes with each route assigned a minimum of two trucks. Streets are prioritized as one (arterials), two (collectors and Citilink bus routes) and three (residential). It takes usually 10-12 hours after snow stops falling to plow and salt priority one and two streets, with residential streets taking 48 hours to plow.

For more information on snow removal, click here.