CINCINNATI — As part of what some are calling winter storm Elliot, the Tri-State will likely experience a "flash freeze" Thursday night into early Friday morning.
A flash freeze occurs when temperatures rapidly drop below freezing behind a cold front. Wet roads from rain falling in the area will freeze, causing driving hazards.
Here's how this sets up for us in the Tri-State: Rain will begin falling Thursday between 6 p.m. and midnight, just before a cold front comes through and plummets temperatures possibly as much as 40 degrees from 42 to 2. That much of a temperature drop would go down as one of the biggest drops in temps in recorded Tri-State history in that short of a period of time.
On top of that, intense snowfall very early Friday morning could drop anywhere from 1-4 inches in parts of the Tri-State, adding a slick layer of snow on top of ice.
These kinds of conditions can be hazardous for driving. If you can, limit travel Friday morning until road crews can get out and salt. If you do have to drive, here are the top tips:
- Go slow
- Don't use cruise control
- Leave plenty of distance between you and other drivers
Roads will turn snow covered quickly Thursday evening and if you are wanting to avoid this and low visibility, avoid traveling between 7 p.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. Friday. @wcpo #cincywx pic.twitter.com/OmH1d9Spwm
— Jennifer Ketchmark (@KetchmarkWCPO) December 21, 2022
These conditions can be hard to spot on both major roadways and side roads, and because of the rainfall before the flash freeze, it won't be possible for road crews to pre-treat. Fortunately, the timing of this event is overnight. Before the majority of people wake up, road crews should have a chance to put down salt to help melt some of that freeze.
We are constantly updating our forecast for this storm as it becomes clearer and closer. Click here to find the latest update.
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