Spring is still a ways off but City crews are already preparing for the inevitable meltdown.

Men, women and machines hit the streets Tuesday for the annual clearing away of snow and ice from storm drains and water intakes. A snow blower and trucks took care of some of the worst windrows and snow-blanketed bus stops.

Streets crew leader Augie Pietramala said he had a snow blower on Hillside Drive, one of the worst hit. He also had three trucks out.

But while spring preparations might have some us thinking warm thoughts, meteorologist Jim Steele warned to not to let hopes rise too high.

Warmer weather easing in from the coast is expected to push out some of the cold air lingering in the valley, but it will bring in more snow along with temperatures only one or two degrees above freezing.

"I would hesitate to call it a meltdown."

For warmth, Steele advises heading to higher elevations such as Sun Peaks or Pinantan, which benefit from being above the inversion keeping Kamloops’s cold air in.