Glaze of ice brings accidents, wintry scenes to Midwest and Northeast
By
Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Jan 8, 2022 12:48 PM EDT
|
Updated Jan 10, 2022 8:57 AM EDT
Icy conditions caused traffic accidents and coated surfaces from St. Louis to Albany, New York this weekend.
The bone-chilling cold had already settled into the northern tier by Saturday morning. Temperatures from St. Louis to Washington, D.C., started off in the lower 20s, with temperatures in the teens and single digits from Chicago to New York City and Boston.
"The Arctic air in place was hard to dislodge this past weekend, and that's bad news as warm Gulf moisture migrated northward," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz.
Benz further explained that the warm Gulf air allowed for precipitation to fall as rain, but the cold layer of air near the ground meant that the droplets froze upon contact with the ground.
These chilly conditions set the stage for ice in these regions.
Illinois DOT reported that freezing rain was causing icy roads and slowing down traffic across the state, especially around the Champaign area by early Saturday afternoon.
Accidents and vehicle slide-offs continued to increase into Saturday evening across the Chicago area. Some accidents were reported near Interstate 57 and Interstate-80 corridor as freezing rain impacted the region.
As freezing rain shifted eastward, more traffic troubles were reported on I-70 in western Indiana.
Icy conditions were reported around the Indianapolis area on Saturday afternoon. Public safety agencies responded to crash reports around the area, including US 31 around Carmel, Indiana.
Heavy congestion could be seen on US Highway 31 after a crash was reported just north of Interstate 465 in Carmel, Indiana. Bridges and overpasses in Johnson County were reported as iced over. A multi-car crash was also reported on Interstate 65.
A seven-car crash on 126th street over I69 has Eastbound lanes shut down on Saturday. (Twitter/@FishersFireDept)
A seven-car crash was reported on 126th street over Interstate 69. Eastbound lanes were shut down as a result.
Some freezing drizzle was reported in parts of Iowa and Minnesota on Saturday night. The National Weather Service reported slippery road conditions as a result.
By daybreak on Sunday morning, a glaze of ice had stretched across much of Pennsylvania, northern Maryland, and the southern tier of New York. Not only was ice accumulating on the roads, but also on trees, leading to isolated reports of damage and power outages.
AccuWeather Broadcast Meteorologist Justin Povick recalled hearing tree branches snapping at AccuWeather headquarters in State College, Pennsylvania, on Sunday morning. Ice amounts in State College, as of 9 a.m. ranged from 0.10-0.20 of an inch.
Icy spots on the roads led to slowed travel across much of Pennsylvania on Sunday morning as well. Air temperatures stayed below freezing across much of Pennsylvania and New York throughout the morning, allowing for any untreated roads and sidewalks to remain icy.
There was an area of significant icing across central and northeastern Pennsylvania and into New York. Ice accumulations of 0.10-0.25 of an inch were common. Lesser ice amounts of 0.01 of an inch were reported near Damascus and Frederick, Maryland.
Some locations spiked just above freezing for a time during the afternoon Sunday, allowing for some thinner areas of ice to melt. However, any lingering wet areas are likely to refreeze as temperatures once again dip below freezing.
Throughout Sunday morning, conditions began to deteriorate across parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire as sleet and freezing rain moved in. Slowed traffic was reported in Massachusetts, along parts of I-90 near Lee and on I-91 between Northampton and Deerfield.
Massachusetts State Police also reported lane closures on Route 190 and Route 84 due to accidents caused by the icy roads.
AccuWeather's interactive weather radar shows freezing rain stretching from northern Virginia to Vermont around 10:15 a.m. on Sunday, January 9.
In New Hampshire, state police reported on Twitter that troopers were responding to a number of accidents due to the icy roadways. The agency also said that speeds on I-93 were reduced to 45 mph because of the weather.
Icy conditions began to stretch near the I-95 corridor from the northern and western suburbs of Washington, D.C., up through Boston and into Maine by late-morning on Sunday.
Locations that received mostly rain during the day on Sunday should still be on alert for a rapid freeze-up as temperatures dip down below freezing. This could turn any lingering wet areas into ice.
Behind this winter storm, another blast of Arctic air is expected to sweep from the northern Plains through the Midwest and Northeast. High temperatures in Minneapolis are forecast to only be in the single digits on Monday, with high temperatures in the teens for Detroit and Chicago. Some locations in the Northeast on Tuesday could have the lowest temperatures so far this season.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Winter Weather
Glaze of ice brings accidents, wintry scenes to Midwest and Northeast
By Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Jan 8, 2022 12:48 PM EDT | Updated Jan 10, 2022 8:57 AM EDT
Icy conditions caused traffic accidents and coated surfaces from St. Louis to Albany, New York this weekend.
The bone-chilling cold had already settled into the northern tier by Saturday morning. Temperatures from St. Louis to Washington, D.C., started off in the lower 20s, with temperatures in the teens and single digits from Chicago to New York City and Boston.
"The Arctic air in place was hard to dislodge this past weekend, and that's bad news as warm Gulf moisture migrated northward," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz.
Benz further explained that the warm Gulf air allowed for precipitation to fall as rain, but the cold layer of air near the ground meant that the droplets froze upon contact with the ground.
These chilly conditions set the stage for ice in these regions.
Illinois DOT reported that freezing rain was causing icy roads and slowing down traffic across the state, especially around the Champaign area by early Saturday afternoon.
Accidents and vehicle slide-offs continued to increase into Saturday evening across the Chicago area. Some accidents were reported near Interstate 57 and Interstate-80 corridor as freezing rain impacted the region.
As freezing rain shifted eastward, more traffic troubles were reported on I-70 in western Indiana.
Icy conditions were reported around the Indianapolis area on Saturday afternoon. Public safety agencies responded to crash reports around the area, including US 31 around Carmel, Indiana.
Heavy congestion could be seen on US Highway 31 after a crash was reported just north of Interstate 465 in Carmel, Indiana. Bridges and overpasses in Johnson County were reported as iced over. A multi-car crash was also reported on Interstate 65.
A seven-car crash on 126th street over I69 has Eastbound lanes shut down on Saturday. (Twitter/@FishersFireDept)
A seven-car crash was reported on 126th street over Interstate 69. Eastbound lanes were shut down as a result.
Some freezing drizzle was reported in parts of Iowa and Minnesota on Saturday night. The National Weather Service reported slippery road conditions as a result.
By daybreak on Sunday morning, a glaze of ice had stretched across much of Pennsylvania, northern Maryland, and the southern tier of New York. Not only was ice accumulating on the roads, but also on trees, leading to isolated reports of damage and power outages.
AccuWeather Broadcast Meteorologist Justin Povick recalled hearing tree branches snapping at AccuWeather headquarters in State College, Pennsylvania, on Sunday morning. Ice amounts in State College, as of 9 a.m. ranged from 0.10-0.20 of an inch.
Related:
Icy spots on the roads led to slowed travel across much of Pennsylvania on Sunday morning as well. Air temperatures stayed below freezing across much of Pennsylvania and New York throughout the morning, allowing for any untreated roads and sidewalks to remain icy.
There was an area of significant icing across central and northeastern Pennsylvania and into New York. Ice accumulations of 0.10-0.25 of an inch were common. Lesser ice amounts of 0.01 of an inch were reported near Damascus and Frederick, Maryland.
Some locations spiked just above freezing for a time during the afternoon Sunday, allowing for some thinner areas of ice to melt. However, any lingering wet areas are likely to refreeze as temperatures once again dip below freezing.
Throughout Sunday morning, conditions began to deteriorate across parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire as sleet and freezing rain moved in. Slowed traffic was reported in Massachusetts, along parts of I-90 near Lee and on I-91 between Northampton and Deerfield.
Massachusetts State Police also reported lane closures on Route 190 and Route 84 due to accidents caused by the icy roads.
AccuWeather's interactive weather radar shows freezing rain stretching from northern Virginia to Vermont around 10:15 a.m. on Sunday, January 9.
In New Hampshire, state police reported on Twitter that troopers were responding to a number of accidents due to the icy roadways. The agency also said that speeds on I-93 were reduced to 45 mph because of the weather.
Icy conditions began to stretch near the I-95 corridor from the northern and western suburbs of Washington, D.C., up through Boston and into Maine by late-morning on Sunday.
Locations that received mostly rain during the day on Sunday should still be on alert for a rapid freeze-up as temperatures dip down below freezing. This could turn any lingering wet areas into ice.
Behind this winter storm, another blast of Arctic air is expected to sweep from the northern Plains through the Midwest and Northeast. High temperatures in Minneapolis are forecast to only be in the single digits on Monday, with high temperatures in the teens for Detroit and Chicago. Some locations in the Northeast on Tuesday could have the lowest temperatures so far this season.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo