Icy February eats into road salt, sand stockpiles

After several consistently mild winters in recent years, deep cold returned to the Northwest Corner in 2025.

The polar vortex, which kept temperatures below freezing for most of February, left persistent patches of ice in the area. Efforts to melt the ice depleted salt supplies, leading some to rely on sand to create a textured surface where needed.

Customers looking to resupply on salt and sand at local hardware stores may have found that when they went to pick it up during this very icy winter, stores were out.

Bob Riva at CA Lindell ACE Hardware in Canaan explained that in the last few winters they were selling one or two truckloads of salt with about fourteen pallets of salt per truck. He went on to say, “The last four winters we had no snow, and the warehouses reduced the stock. We got caught because of this with this winter’s snow and ice.”

Riva said that Lindell’s expected a shipment of sand and salt by Feb. 28.

As the cold spell hit most of the United States, some of the winter supply was relocated based on demand.

Represetatives of Aubuchon Hardware in Great Barrington commented: “There is a sand and rock salt shortage. It was shipped south because they were hit first.”

At town garages, stockpiles of sand remain plentiful while the salt stock runs low.

Dave Barger, first selectman in Falls Village, reported, “Sand has not been in short supply, but the salt that we mix with the sand has. In our Town of Canaan — Falls Village — there has been more ice than there has been in past years.”

“We have experienced issues due to the periods of wet weather followed by extreme cold,” Cornwall Department of Public Works Supervisor Jim Vanicky said. “In the case of this winter it caused the sand to freeze deep into the pile, which is unusable because it’s very solid. In Cornwall we lost about one third to frozen sand. We do store it in a large pile facing the west to take advantage of the warmth.”

Emily Egan, administrative assistant to the selectmen at Salisbury Town Hall said, “The shortage is on road salt, not sand which has affected the entire northeast.” She added that “The town stocked up prior to the shortage, so we have not been affected.”

In Sharon, Casey Flanagan, First Selectman, said “We have not had any issues getting sand. I did hear that other towns and hardware stores were running out of salt. Knock on wood, we have had the material we needed to keep the roads passable this winter without interruption.”

In North East, New York, Robert Stevens, Superintendent of Highways said, “The Town of North East is not having any problems getting sand and salt.”

By the time March arrived, a wave of warm weather melted away the ice.