With rain moving through the valley Wednesday there are a lot of puddles around town, but all it takes is a cold spell for them to ice over.
"You can't tell where it is at, and those things you do not know you're going to hit, you hit it and sometimes it's too late,” said local resident Antonia Ward.
When it comes to winter driving, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. However, unless you live in the hills or North Valleys, ice is not a widespread issue quite yet.
While the air temperature might fall below freezing, the road might not be. After the warm fall we’ve had, during the day the pavement is about five to ten degrees warmer than the air temperature. Dark pavement absorbs more heat than grass does. Which means while our yards could be covered in frost or snow, the road might be just fine.
At least for a little while, as everything can change rapidly. If the front is cold enough or skies are clear at night, it can take less than an hour for the road to catch up. With clear skies at night the ground can get significantly colder than the air temperature too. If it’s snowing hard enough and the ground temperature is not that much above freezing, snow can accumulate that way too.
"We're kind of used to it but we're being cautious,” mentioned local resident Bill Raynor.
Sometimes it can be warm enough during the day for melting, but then as the sun goes down everything turns into a skating rink. Even a good set of tires with traction or even studs are not going to help you with ice, so make sure to stay safe and drive slow. Black ice is even worse because you can’t see it.
"I just hit a patch of ice and my feet went out from under me,” said Raynor.
If you’re driving the last thing you want to do is slam on your brakes. Keep in mind bridges and overpasses are usually the first things to ice over because they are exposed to the cold on more sides.
