Black Ice Season

Icy road warning sign used in Quebec, Canada (courtesy of Wikipedia)

I refuse to call this season "Winter" because it seems as if we are barely having any winter-like weather. But, we are having black ice coating the roadways on many mornings. Hence, I have renamed it "Black Ice Season."

Why black ice, you might ask? Well, I think that if we've had rain early in the evening and just into the overnight hours, or if we have fog and the early morning temp. has risen into the low to mid 30's, the road surface may end up coated with a very thin sheen of ice, often impossible to see, if it is colder than the air. I did some researching and even if the roadway looks dry, the tiny spaces in the pavement may contain small amounts of water that freeze causing loss of traction for tires.

Well, looking at the morning temp. for the next 15 days, I think we are in for a lot of black ice. I love winter, but I do not like Black Ice Season. Cross your fingers that we make it through unscathed...