Southern New England Faces Flash Freeze Threat

(NECN: Kathryn Sotnik, Newton, Mass.) - The morning commute in Southern New England on Thursday could be an extremely tricky one as another winter storm moves in with extremely cold temperatures.

The steady overnight rain combined with plummeting temperatures may cause flash freezing throughout the region.

Massachusetts Highway Administrator Frank DePaola says the key is pre-treatment of roadways.

"We'll treat all of the major state highways with de-icing chemicals to prevent the formation of black ice," said DePaola.

Puddles on side roads could become black ice, and with a small coating of sleet and snow in some areas, that ice will be hard to see.

DePaola urged drivers on Wednesday to be cautious in the morning, saying, "We will do our best to pre-treat all of the major highways, but your local roads and other driveways could still be slippery."

Lee Tesconi is a daily commuter to the Boston area. He says he has some flexibility to go to work a little bit later, and will "probably take advantage of that tomorrow morning."

Others though may face traffic.

In Boston, NECN also found the salt piles are replenished after a tough winter. City workers say crews will be in at 1 a.m. Thursday to pretreat for the icy conditions.

But for the most part, southern New England will dodge the bulk of the wintry weather, and northern New England will see snow, which is good news for many who live near Boston.

A laughing commuter, Andy Farquharson said, "As you get a little older, you start thinking, 'Why am I not in Florida?"

MassDOT says they also have plenty of salt reserves in storage so they'll have "more than enough" to pre-treat for this storm.

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