PHOENIX – The Valley has been handling 100-degree-plus heat for months, but that is not keeping the Arizona Department of Transportation from preparing for winter.

ADOT has acquired five new snowplows and conducted an August training session in Flagstaff to review the mechanics and technology of the equipment, providing instruction to staff on how to troubleshoot issues technicians and snowplow operators may encounter when the weather turns cold, according to an ADOT release.

About 20 ADOT snowplow operators, equipment services technicians and others from across Arizona attended the training that included classroom instruction and hands-on demonstration with a snowplow.

The five new snowplows will be in maintenance yards across the state - one each at Flagstaff, Fredonia and Show Low and two snowplows in Prescott Valley - where they will replace ones that have been taken out of service due to high miles or mechanical issues, transportation officials said.

“ADOT has 200 snowplows and 400 snowplow operators who work around the clock when snowstorms roll through the state,” the release stated.

When the time comes, ADOT officials advise drivers who encounter a snowplow on a highway to give plow operators space to do their work.

Stay at least four-car-lengths behind the plow and never attempt to pass the plow, they said.