CLEVELAND, Ohio – Right as a monster weekend storm bears down on much of the U.S., Cleveland is facing a road salt shortage.
Like others in Northeast Ohio, Cleveland has begun to juggle its salt supplies to keep up with this year’s continuous onslaught of snow.
But the Ohio Department of Transportation’s district office for Cuyahoga, Geauga and Lake counties reports it is in good shape – with 32,000 tons of salt on hand. That’s enough to fill 3,200 trucks. And more orders are arriving, a spokesperson said.
ODOT takes care of the interstate highways, plus state and U.S. routes outside of municipalities.
It’s a different story at the local level, as Northeast Ohio waits to see the impact of the weekend storm that’s expected to hit much of the country.
“Everybody is having a shortage. We’re all using it,” said Geauga County Engineer Andy Haupt. “Minimization of salt usage is always the goal. We have to keep roads passable. … The number of callouts to call [snowplows] out has more than doubled from last winter.”
Cleveland on Wednesday announced a plow-more, salt-less plan to deal with what it described as the shortage “impacting municipalities throughout Northeast Ohio.”
Read more: Monster winter storm to blast much of US: How much will hit NE Ohio?
Salt supplies will be prioritized, the city said, for use on main roads, hills, dangerous intersections and areas near hospitals and schools. As for residential streets, “they will be plowed but may not be salted during the shortage. This may result in snow-covered or slippery conditions lasting longer than usual,” the announcement said.
“This is truly out of our control, so the only thing we can do at this point is manage given the situation we’re in,” spokesperson Tyler Sinclair said.
Parma Service Director Tony Vannello said Wednesday that while the city has supplies on hand and is still receiving deliveries, “We are aware of the ongoing rock salt shortage in Northeast Ohio and are rationing our usage to focus primarily on the main roads, intersections and hills throughout our community until salt supplies are replenished.”
And Cleveland Heights Mayor Jim Petras told WKYC Channel 3 earlier this week that its shortage had become so severe that Cleveland Heights had to borrow 150 tons of salt from a neighboring city.
Cleveland in its announcement cited delays in shipments from Cargill, a key local supplier.
Cargill said it is “working overtime” to meet the needs.
“Sometimes early snow and ice requires producers to prioritize distribution of salt to ensure public roads stay safe. We have confidence in the strength and resilience of our supply chain and our ability to safely produce deicing salt that keeps roads safe and commerce moving. Our production facilities and supply chains are running strong,” the company said in a statement.
The 33.7 inches of snow recorded through Tuesday at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport compares with an average of 26.7 inches by this date over the previous 25 years, National Weather Service records show.
The totals through Jan. 20 have ranged from 8.3 inches in 2015-16 to a high of 60.5 inches in 2004-05.
After high temperatures in the mid-30s Wednesday, the forecast calls for temperatures to remain below freezing for the next several days. Then the winter wallop arrives this weekend.
cleveland.com reporters Sean McDonnell and Molly Walsh contributed to this story.
Related: See the searchable cleveland.com weather database for weather details for any date since 1871.
Snow through Jan. 20 each year
Winter Snow Inches
2025-2026 33.7
2024-2025 21.4
2023-2024 16.3
2022-2023 9.4
2021-2022 17.5
2020-2021 27.9
2019-2020 17.8
2018-2019 20.0
2017-2018 26.1
2016-2017 14.0
2015-2016 8.3
2014-2015 30.5
2013-2014 35.2
2012-2013 15.6
2011-2012 21.8
2010-2011 30.8
2009-2010 24.1
2008-2009 44.3
2007-2008 23.9
2006-2007 19.3
2005-2006 30.6
2004-2005 60.5
2003-2004 50.0
2002-2003 45.7
2001-2002 10.8
2000-2001 44.5
