How 24/7 Storm Monitoring Works, and Why It Starts Before the First Flake

"24/7" gets printed on a lot of trucks. What it should mean is that someone is watching the weather and the pavement for your property at every hour of the season, and that crews move before conditions do. Here's how the cycle works at a property under one of our seasonal programs.

Before the Storm: Forecast and Pavement

Monitoring starts days out. We track forecasts for timing, totals, and, most importantly, temperature trends, because pavement temperature determines whether the first snow will bond to the surface or slide off it. When a storm or a freeze is coming, priority surfaces are anti-iced ahead of it: entrances, accessible routes, stairs, drive-thru lanes.

During the Storm: Triggers and Cycles

Each property has trigger depths written into its contract. As accumulation reaches the trigger, crews dispatch (overnight, on weekends, on holidays) with priority areas first. In extended storms, crews cycle back through the property on a schedule so entrances and drive lanes stay open rather than waiting for the storm to end.

After the Storm: Ice and Refreeze

The storm ending isn't the end of the work. Spokane's freeze-thaw pattern means the days after a storm are often the most dangerous: sun melts snowbanks across walks and lanes, and overnight lows refreeze the runoff. Monitoring continues, and crews are dispatched for ice control based on forecast and ground temperature, not just snowfall.

Priority Order Decided in Advance

Each property's site plan sets the order its surfaces are cleared in before the season starts: entrances, accessible routes, and drive lanes ahead of interior stalls, with the drift-prone and grade areas flagged. That sequence is what makes an overnight dispatch predictable rather than improvised.

Why It Has to Be Contracted

A monitored, around-the-clock program only works if the properties on the route are known in advance: mapped, prioritized, and staffed. That's why we work exclusively on seasonal contracts. It's the difference between a crew that's assigned to your property and a truck you hope is available.

Contact PNW Snow Services for a free site walkthrough and a seasonal proposal for your property.