For students and residents who are new to the area – beware. The winter season is rapidly approaching. For veterans of DeKalb winters, brace yourself for another season of near-arctic temperatures and record snow falls.

According to DeKalb City Council Meeting minutes from April 2008, the total snowfall from the 2007/2008 winter season was 60.7 inches, as opposed to 45.6 inches recorded in the 2006/2007 winter season. Last winter holds the record for fifth snowiest winter season in DeKalb.

If those figures are any indication of what is to come this winter, hibernate now, because Father Winter exercises no mercy on DeKalb residents. And anyone familiar with DeKalb winters will shiver thinking about last year’s salt shortage.

A press release issued in Feb. 2008 maintains that DeKalb and a majority of northern Illinois communities like Sycamore and Cortland did not receive any salt deliveries for the remainder of the 2007/2008 snow season. The 2007/2008 DeKalb city contract for rock salt was originally projected to be 2,700 tons. As of February, the city went through 5,400 tons of salt.

“We still don’t know how much snow will fall this winter,” said staff meteorologist Gilbert Sebenste. “The current trends indicate that this winter will be cold, but we’re still not sure if we’re going to have a snowier-than-average winter.”

It’s hard to brace yourself for a sort of winter that requires tons upon tons of salt. It’s also hard to accept that this winter will be bad, judging by the mild summer weather we enjoyed.

“There are signs that indicate it will be a pretty active snow season, but it’s something we’re going to have to watch on a day-to-day basis,” Sebenste said.

Since it is a little too early to predict the snowfall patterns of this winter, predicting a salt shortage may be difficult as well.

Salting priority went to major roads and intersections last season. Residents were asked when shoveling to stop throwing shoveled snow into the street and to also drive slower during the snowy season.

Although we have seen nothing but flurries so far, we cannot discard the idea of a snowy winter. In a town notorious for bad winters, behaving safely in harsh weather conditions is necessary.

If DeKalb does see another salt shortage, get yourself a pair of nice boots and a car with four-wheel drive.

If that’s not feasible, put safety first in the upcoming snow season, and remember the unpredictable weather patterns of this city.