Freezing rain and drizzle could cause slippery patches in parts of New England this evening
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Freezing rain and drizzle could cause slippery patches in parts of New England this evening

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

A weak system will move into New England Monday afternoon and will likely bring various types of winter precipitation across the region. While the Greater Boston area will only see rain, a storm is possible with mild temperatures Freezing rain and drizzle across parts of western and northern New England – sneaking up on people in the form of black ice later tonight and tomorrow morning as surface temperatures near freezing again.

From this afternoon through Tuesday morning, north-central Worcester County, parts of mountainous Western Mass. and issued winter weather warnings for much of northern New England’s hill towns and mountain towns.

Winter weather advisories are in effect Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning, with freezing rain, ice and snow possible across parts of central and northern New England.Boston Globe

Excessive icing is not expected, actually only trace amounts of about a tenth of an inch, but even that much can certainly lead to slippery roads and sidewalks.

A light layer of ice may form in areas near Route 2 west of I-495, with a wider area possibly seeing icing in the Berkshires. Valleys and low points between the Green and White Mountains should also be somewhat icy.

Be careful if you have plans tonight or leaving early tomorrow.

Freezing rain may cause icy spots on the roads from Monday afternoon to Thursday morning.Boston Globe

What could cause this storm to bring ice compared to previous ones?

Let’s break down the meteorology here. A warm front will move through the region this afternoon, bringing rain across Boston. But as mentioned, things get a little more interesting in the mountain towns, mountains and valleys in between.

As the night progresses and the warm front advances, warm air penetrates the middle layers of the atmosphere and forms a warm, above freezing layer. This essentially traps cold air at the surface, particularly between mountainous areas in western and northern New England. This is because the cold air on the surface gets stuck between higher areas and cannot escape. Since the thickness of the warm layer is quite large, freezing rain is likely to occur.

Here are the most common types of precipitation in winter. During freezing rain, frozen precipitation falls from the cloud base through a large warm layer and melts into rain. As rain approaches the surface, it cools and freezes on surfaces that are at or below freezing point.Boston Globe

Freezing rain occurs when frozen precipitation melts in this warm pocket of mid-level air. This rain falls and then freezes on cold surfaces at the surface.

As the snow melts into rain in the warm layer, it can revert to ice upon contact with cold air or under frozen ground surfaces.Boston Globe

By mid-Tuesday morning, most of the icy trouble spots will melt away and temperatures will be well above freezing again across much of New England. Just make sure you give yourself a little extra time on your commute on Tuesday morning, when temperatures will be near freezing around 6 a.m

On Tuesday morning temperatures could be around freezing. Therefore, be particularly careful when commuting.Boston Globe

Ken Mahan can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Instagram @kenmahantheweatherman.

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