forecast

FIRST ALERT: Flash Freeze Makes for a Dangerous Morning Commute

We may see up to ¼” of ice in spots, and it may be enough to cause some isolated power outages

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It’s a mess out there. But it should be a little better this afternoon.

We’re currently undergoing a flash freeze – which is just what it sounds like. Temperatures plummet in a flash as cold air rushes in. In this setup, below freezing temps will move from southern New Hampshire into Massachusetts. First to freeze is Nashua, Pelham, Lawrence, Newburyport, Lowell…then towns and cities south. This is just the freeze. On top of that, we have icing from the precipitation falling.

What makes this situation unique is that we have a nose of cold surging in as the front passes. In other setups, the cold arrives sporadically, or even over the course of several hours. Obviously, salt and sand trucks will have to be on top of their game. It’s like Double Dutch: you have to time the application of road treatment perfectly, or the rain will wash it away.

What makes the afternoon a BIT better is that the roads will all be treated and the situation should have stabilized from the morning. Granted, the roads will still be slippery, AND the precipitation will still be falling. We’ll finally see it wrap between 5-6 p.m. as the storm moves to the east.

All told, this isn’t a record-setting ice storm. We may see up to ¼” of ice in spots, and it may be enough to cause some isolated power outages. But thanks to the fact that the storm swiftly exits this evening, we’re better off than we could be.

Cold takes command for the weekend. Saturday may feature some light snow (up to a coating) in spots as the upper level energy from our storm moves through. Clearing returns Saturday evening with a bitter start to Sunday morning. Highs manage to recover to the upper 20s on Sunday, then we watch for another storm Tuesday to take a swipe at us.

Thankfully, that could be snow, NOT ice. Be safe and have a great weekend.

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