SALISBURY — City of Salisbury street crews are ready to begin 12-hour shifts Saturday evening in response to winter weather that seems sure to hit Rowan County and the rest of the Piedmont.

Just what form the precipitation takes and what to expect remains the big mystery for all road crews.

“There’s so much variety in what the forecasters are showing,” Craig Powers, assistant public services director, said Friday afternoon.

Will his crews be dealing with considerable snow accumulations? Will they be seeing freezing rain and sleet? It’s literally up in he air now.

“The ice thing really has me concerned,” Powers said. “That’s a whole other level of nastiness.”

City departments were having their routine kind of meetings Friday heading into a weather event, making sure “we’re all on the same page, which we are,” Powers said.

Meanwhile, employees were getting all the snow and ice removal equipment, sand and brine-application trucks ready.

The city doesn’t put down brine on streets — the Department of Transportation handles the major roads — but it does apply brine solutions at key city locations such as fire stations and the Police Department parking lot.

“We’re getting stuff out of the way while we can, so we can be as effective as possible,” Powers said.

Powers expects to bring in the first city crews at 7 p.m. Saturday, and they will work until being relieved at 7 a.m. Sunday. The 12-hour shifts will continue as long as they are needed.

Powers said he always enjoys the camaraderie and teamwork he sees among his guys when they work these bad weather situations.

“How much they love doing this job really comes out in the worse situations,” Powers said.

Seeing it motivates him personally every time, he added.