We put street signs on highways in Ohio. Quite handy for knowing whether you're in the correct lane, as it doesn't have the ambiguity that overhead signs can have.
Of course, we do also have overhead signs as a backup and for longer-range visibility. But it's more likely that the overhead signs are useless due to a setting sun than that the on-road ones are due to snow. The streets with on-road signs are very high priorities to plow, so the on-road signs are going to be visible unless it's a very bad storm where you probably shouldn't be on the road, and if you are you're probably going home and already know which lanes to be in.
I'm not saying this should be done for every road; it works best for roads known by a number (I-71; US-23; OH-315, etc.) where you don't have to read a long name. But it's not an daft as idea as it might sound.
I believe California does some of this in the really complex interchanges in the Bay Area, but I don't remember for certain and it's been years since I've been there.
Of course, we do also have overhead signs as a backup and for longer-range visibility. But it's more likely that the overhead signs are useless due to a setting sun than that the on-road ones are due to snow. The streets with on-road signs are very high priorities to plow, so the on-road signs are going to be visible unless it's a very bad storm where you probably shouldn't be on the road, and if you are you're probably going home and already know which lanes to be in.
I'm not saying this should be done for every road; it works best for roads known by a number (I-71; US-23; OH-315, etc.) where you don't have to read a long name. But it's not an daft as idea as it might sound.