At What Temperature Does Salt Stop Working on Michigan's Roads?

How cold is too cold?

You may have felt a little bit of shock when you stepped outside this morning, with temperatures only in the teens—and tomorrow is expected to be even colder. With temps that low, is it even worth salting your sidewalks or sending out salt trucks on Michigan’s roads to try melting the ice?

I think it surprises some people to learn that road salt becomes ineffective at extremely low temperatures. While it works well in most winter conditions, its effectiveness has limits when the cold becomes extreme.

You see people on social media complaining all the time during extremely cold days that roads are still icy, wondering why the salt isn’t working or why the city isn’t 'doing its job.' The truth is, when it’s that cold, salt simply can’t do its job effectively, leaving road crews with limited options to deal with the ice.

At What Temperature Does Salt Stop Working on Michigan's Roads?

According to Cargill, salt can technically melt ice all the way down to its lowest effective limit, around -6°F. But in the real world, it’s not that simple. On highways and for deicing, salt is usually considered effective only when temperatures are above 15°F.

Thankfully, these freezing temps we’re enduring right now will only last a couple of days (for now, anyway). By Monday, we’ll see temps climb to nearly 50 degrees.