KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — Temperatures are forecasted to plummet below freezing later tonight, creating the likelihood for icy conditions as wet and melting precipitation refreezes. The National Weather Service has declared winter weather advisories for most Indiana counties.

As of 4 p.m., the Indiana Department of Transportation plans a deployment of more than 600 yellow salt trucks over the next few hours as temperatures approach freezing. With most of the storm leading off as rain, state highways will be pretreated with granular salt just before pavement temperatures fall below freezing and the ice begins to accumulate. Each route takes 2 to 3 hours to complete.

INDOT Hoosier Helpers sponsored by State Farm will be working alternating 12-hour shifts patrolling urban interstates near Indianapolis, Louisville and northwest Indiana.

Public-safety agencies are urging motorists to schedule travel before or after ice is forecasted. It is difficult for drivers to distinguish black ice and refreezing from wet highways. Ice is the most dangerous of all winter road conditions because it affects all vehicle sizes and types, including large trucks and those with four-wheel drive.

About 40 Indiana counties continue to have yellow travel advisories, recommending that drivers use caution and avoid unnecessary travel. Updates are available online.

Motorists that venture out in hazardous road conditions may put themselves and first responders in harm’s way. Stopped traffic delays plow trucks from servicing their routes every 2 to 3 hours.