(WOWK) – The bitterly cold temperatures setting up heading into Wednesday morning will cause any untreated roads, driveways and sidewalks to freeze over once again.
Treated surfaces will likely remain wet or have the chance to dry out before they can freeze. It’s the wet surfaces that haven’t been treated with salt or other melting agents that can freeze over quickly.
The areas that do freeze where the ice is transparent are called black ice and can pose a particularly dangerous hazard for motorists as it is very hard to see, sometimes until it’s too late.
Road temperatures on Wednesday morning will reflect the air temperature in the 20s as shown on our exclusive forecast road temperature product.
Remember, bridges and overpasses tend to freeze first and remain frozen longer as cold air can flow beneath them, thus keeping them colder longer than a stretch of road embedded in soil which tends to warm quicker and retain heat longer thanks to solar radiation heating the land.
Also the extensive snow cover will be seen as an incredibly bright white blanket of snow, which also has a high reflectivity rate meaning it will be very bright out as skies clear early from west to east on Wednesday.
Bring your sunglasses for the morning commute Wednesday to handle the extra brightness while driving.
Don’t forget to check the conditions any time at www.wowktv.com/weather or download the StormTracker 13 app for free right here.
