Solutions for Snow and Ice
Weather service for snow plow and salt contractors.
WDS Business is the way into WDS for this winter. Plan salt and staffing with the WDS winter forecast and the Snow Ops season view, then work each storm with Ground Truth at every site, real-time storm alerts, radar that shows the hours ahead and certified snow reports for up to 5 ZIP codes. $249 a month, 7 days free, month to month.
With a very strong El Niño expected, the WDS winter outlook points to an active southern storm track and fewer long Arctic outbreaks across the northern US and Northeast: big storms in some regions, long quiet stretches in others. No two El Niño winters are alike, so plan the season and watch the next few hours.
WDS helps snow and ice contractors time callouts, pretreat the right surfaces, and adjust the plan in real time as squalls, changeovers, and refreeze windows evolve. After the storm, certified snow reports document each ZIP code you service. Want a meteorologist on the call at 2 AM? WDS Business+ adds one for $499 a month.
Need the snowfall total for one address first? Get a free verified snow report, three per verified email.
Related guides: Snow Removal Contracts and Bidding Guide and When to Salt: Pretreat, Deice and Pavement Temperature.
Two ways to run the winter.
Start with the tools, month to month. Add a meteorologist when the season calls for one. Both packages put Snow Ops, Ground Truth, snow totals and certified reports first for plow and salt crews.
The way in
WDS Business
$249a month
7 days free. Card or bank account. Cancel any time.
Every WDS tool for your crew. Plan the season with the WDS winter forecast, the 30- and 90-day outlooks and Snow Ops, then work each storm with Ground Truth at every site, site forecasts, radar, storm and lightning alerts, season snow totals and certified snow reports for up to 5 ZIP codes, on the web and in the app.
The way into the WDS forecasting platform for this winter, without a meteorologist on the line. Month to month, because we stand behind it. Snow Ops and Ground Truth come with the snow and ice removal setup.
Not included: chat or phone calls with a WDS meteorologist, and forecasts written for your operation.
With a meteorologist
WDS Business+
$499a month
Set up with a short proposal. Bank payment or card.
Everything in WDS Business, plus a WDS meteorologist you can chat with and call, and a forecast written for your operation every day by a WDS meteorologist.
For operations where the expensive calls come with every storm: when to send crews, when to pretreat, when to hold.
Already signed a proposal? Set up payment.
Snow Ops
One map of your sites showing when snow and ice reach each one and how much, over the next 72 hours, 7 days or 15 days. Switch to 30 days or the season to see the WDS forecast beside each site's normal for salt and staffing.
Ground Truth
Each site's near-term forecast checked against the ground nearby, so the board can tell you when snow will stick, when the first inch is down, where ice is likely and when the lot can be ready.
Certified snow reports
A certified report for each of up to 5 ZIP codes after measurable snow, with nothing to request. Bill per push with a number you can show, and have the record ready when a slip-and-fall claim arrives months later.
In-season snow totals
Season snow for every site and ZIP code, day by day, next to its normal, for seasonal contracts and the end-of-season conversation.
Storm and lightning alerts
Real-time alerts on your phone as the storm comes in, plus official warnings, so dispatch hears it at the same time as the field.
Ground Truth
The next few hours, checked against the ground.
Every Snow Ops site gets a Ground Truth board. WDS checks the near-term forecast for the pavement against what is being measured near the site: the nearest state road sensor, or the nearest airport weather station when no road sensor is close, and your own site camera where one is connected. When the ground disagrees with the forecast, the forecast is corrected from the measurement.
In WDS testing, correcting the forecast from the measurement cut surface-temperature error over the next 1 to 6 hours by about a third compared with the uncorrected forecast.
Ground Truth is part of Snow Ops in the snow and ice removal setup, on both packages. Asking a meteorologist about it comes with WDS Business+.
What your crew lead sees
- When snow starts to stick
- The hour snow should start to cover pavement, moved earlier or later by what the ground is doing now.
- The first inch
- When the first inch is down on paved surfaces, so the first push goes out on time.
- Ice
- Whether wet pavement is likely to freeze, and when, for the pretreat and salt call.
- Ready by
- The time a lot can be clear and ready for traffic.
- Nothing changed
- A plain note when the measurement does not change anything you plan around.
Six reasons snow and ice teams pick us.
Plenty of companies sell winter forecasts. We stay with you through the storm, then prove what fell after it.
Real-time answers, not a forecast from six hours ago
Radar-fueled alerts when a squall line is bearing down on your routes. Live updates to when the first inch will fall, and a heads-up when ground temps are about to slip below freezing. We issue 4-day hourly forecasts and 16-day snow forecasts too, but what really sets us apart is staying with you in real time, during real events.
Certified snow reports, automatically, for every ZIP code you service
A certified snow report lands after every event for each ZIP code on your list, with no request needed: up to 5 with WDS Business, your full list with Business+. Our studies show they are the most accurate in the industry, so you can bill correctly, answer slip-and-fall claims and analyze your business on numbers you trust.
With Business+, meteorologists on call and in chat
Not a ticket queue. When the changeover is on the fence at 11 PM and the callout decision is worth thousands, you talk to a meteorologist who already knows your routes.
A radar product built for crews
12 hours of future radar, snow and storm reports as they happen, traffic cameras, and layer after layer of detail so dispatch and drivers know exactly what their area is about to do.
Custom builds for Business+, turned around in about a business day
Custom reports and features designed around your operation, often delivered within one business day. We listen to feedback and move on it fast. Nobody in this industry turns work around quicker.
Advance notice, months before the first flake
Winter forecasts come out in April and get updated every month as the season approaches. Staffing, subcontractors, salt, and pricing get planned early instead of improvised in November.
A weather feed tells you it might snow. We help you run the event.
Here is what changes when your weather vendor is actually in the storm with you.
Alerts that move when the storm does.
Most vendors hand you a forecast and disappear. We stay in the storm with you. First-inch timing gets updated as the radar fills in, squall lines get flagged before they hit your routes, and you hear about it the moment ground temps start sliding toward a refreeze.
- Squall-line and burst-rate alerts fueled by live radar
- Adjustments to first-inch timing as the event evolves
- Ground-temperature and refreeze warnings for pretreat calls
The report that gets your invoices paid.
After every event, a certified snow report is waiting for each ZIP code on your list. Automatically. Our studies put these reports at the top of the industry, so you can bill with confidence and analyze the season on real numbers. Climate researcher and forensic reports are there when you need to dig deeper.
- Up to 5 ZIP codes with WDS Business, issued automatically after measurable snow
- The most accurate reports in our industry studies
- Climate researcher and forensic reports for business analysis
Radar that shows the next 12 hours.
Our radar is loaded for winter work. Future radar out to 12 hours, snow and storm reports as they come in, traffic cameras along your routes, and a deep stack of layers that show crews what their area is about to do.
- 12 hours of future radar for staging and callout timing
- Live snow and storm reports as they happen
- Traffic cameras and dozens of overlay layers
From next April to the next hour.
Winter forecasts come out in April and get updated monthly. 16-day snow forecasts frame the week ahead. 4-day hourly forecasts sharpen the plan as the event gets close. By the time snow shows up on radar, you have seen it coming for months.
- Long-range winter forecasts from April, updated monthly
- 16-day snow-specific forecasts for the planning window
- 4-day hourly detail for callouts, pretreat, and staffing
Talk to a meteorologist, not a chatbot maze.
When the call is expensive, you talk to a person. Mobilize or hold. Salt now or wait out the wash-off. With WDS Business+, our meteorologists are on call and in chat, they already know your operation, and they write your forecast every day. The 4070 weather assistant handles routine questions so the humans are free when it matters.
- On call and in chat whenever you need to talk
- Storm-by-storm guidance around your actual routes and SLAs
- Custom reports and features, often delivered in one business day
In the truck, in the yard, on the couch at 2 AM.
Mobile apps and web dashboards geared around decisions for teams. Field managers get the operating picture. Plow crews get the alerts, radar, and reports that matter on their route, with push notifications the moment something changes.
Common questions from snow and ice buyers.
Straight answers to the questions teams usually ask first.
Do you provide automated certified reports after storms?
Yes. Certified snow reports are issued automatically after measurable snow for each ZIP code on your list, so you can support invoices, SLAs, and customer communication without rebuilding the file after every storm. Climate researcher and forensic reporting tools are available when you need deeper business analysis.
How is WDS different during a live storm?
We stay in the event with you. Radar-fueled alerts flag incoming squall lines, first-inch timing gets adjusted live, and you get warned when ground temps fall below freezing. With WDS Business+, meteorologists are on call and in chat the whole way.
Can WDS support de-icing and pretreat decisions as well as plowing?
Yes. Ground-temperature and refreeze guidance, black-ice risk, and rain wash-off versus snow/ice transition calls are all part of the same workflow, so treatment timing and material usage follow pavement reality instead of air-temperature guesswork.
Do you offer long-range winter forecasts before the season starts?
Yes. WDS issues winter forecasts in April and updates them monthly as the season progresses, supporting preseason staffing, subcontractor coverage, salt procurement, and customer pricing.
Does it work for crews in the field?
Yes. Mobile apps and web dashboards are geared around decisions for teams and work for field managers and plow crews alike, with the same live alerts, radar, and reports everywhere.
How does Ground Truth check the forecast at my sites?
Every Snow Ops site gets a Ground Truth board that checks the near-term forecast for the pavement against what is being measured near the site: the nearest state road sensor, or the nearest airport weather station when no road sensor is close, and your own site camera where one is connected. When the ground disagrees with the forecast, the forecast is corrected from the measurement and the board says what that changes: when snow starts to stick, the first inch, ice and the time a lot can be ready, or that nothing you plan around has changed. It comes with both WDS Business and WDS Business+.
What is a certified snow report, and how does it help with slip-and-fall claims?
A certified snow report states how much snow fell at a ZIP code during a storm, issued by Weather Decision Solutions and certified by a WDS meteorologist. It lists the WDS snowfall estimate, the official stations and vetted observer reports behind it, and a confidence level. Contractors use it to back up invoices, per-push and trigger-depth contracts, and to show what the weather did when a slip-and-fall claim arrives months later. It is an estimate from nearby measurements and radar, not a measurement at your lot.
How much does the snow and ice service cost?
WDS Business is $249 a month after a 7-day free trial, by card or bank account, month to month, and you can cancel any time. It includes Snow Ops, Ground Truth at each site, site forecasts, radar, storm and lightning alerts, the winter forecast, season snow totals and certified snow reports for up to 5 ZIP codes. WDS Business+ is $499 a month and adds meteorologists on call and in chat and a daily forecast written for your operation. Anyone can pull three verified snow reports free at freesnowreport.com. WDS covers snow operations across the US and Canada.
Related industries.
If your operation overlaps multiple teams or business lines, start with the closest fit below. Weather rarely stays in one neat box.
- Prioritize the right corridors instead of spreading crews thin everywhere.
- Improve timing on winter treatment and severe-weather readiness.
- Give district leaders a clearer weather narrative for operational coordination.
- Improve lead time on staffing and public messaging decisions.
- Keep partner agencies aligned around one forecast narrative.
- Reduce the gap between monitoring weather and acting on it.
- Protect yield and quality with better timing on weather-sensitive fieldwork.
- Reduce lost labor and input cost from avoidable weather misses.
- Coordinate field operations across changing conditions and microclimates.
See it before the next storm does.
We will walk through a real winter event on your routes: the alerts you would have gotten, the certified report waiting the next morning, and the calls that would have gone differently.