Essential Winter Ice Safety: Preparing for and Navigating Seasonal Hazards

Old Man Winter’s icy grip on the landscape brings treacherous travel conditions, widespread destruction and threats to life and property. Plunging temperatures in the upper atmosphere allow falling precipitation to freeze solid before reaching the ground. The sheer weight of accumulated ice stresses structures and vegetation, downing power lines and leaving communities powerless for extended periods.

Multiple winter ice types, including froze-over lakes, opaque black ice glazes on roads, and frost crystallized on plants, present seasonal hazards. Therefore, preparing for contingencies and taking proper precautions helps ensure household and travel safety.

Black Ice Camouflages Slippery Roads

Perhaps the most dangerous ice lurks unseen on roadways and walkways, posing threats to ill-prepared commuters. Black ice constitutes a thin, clear intrusion onto paved surfaces, caused when melted snow and ice residuals re-freeze in the late night through pre-dawn hours. Highly hazardous transparent sheets bond to the pavement, masking traction loss from unaware drivers and pedestrians.

Even minor icing drastically reduces control, multiplies braking distances required, and enables uncontrolled slides through turns. Barely discernible in the dark, black ice glazes joke murderously named “Widowmakers” for sending vehicles careening perilously across medians into oncoming traffic.