PITTSBURGH – After getting drenched this week, the Northeast will face a rapid drop in temperatures, creating conditions for flash freezing and making Thursday’s commute icy and dangerous.
On Wednesday, a deluge of rain fell across the Northeast, with high temperatures in the 50s and 60s in parts of New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
By Thursday morning, most of these areas will go from above-freezing temperatures to temperatures in the 20s, creating what’s known as a flash freeze.
FOX Weather Meteorologist Craig Herrera explains why this can create dangerous conditions outside.
“When this happens, you basically drop from above-freezing temperatures to below-freezing temperatures in a matter of hours. And all of the water that’s out there on the roads, the leftover rain, maybe some slush quickly freezes just like that,” Herrera said. “And it makes it pretty dangerous, especially for driving and walking. You may step out of your doorway. You’ve got a little driveway or the sidewalk. It could be frozen over.”
These conditions are possible on Thursday morning in places like Scranton, Pennsylvania, where temperatures are above freezing at bedtime on Wednesday and down to 29 degrees by Thursday morning.
With the wind chill, that 29 degrees will feel like the teens.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, flash freeze events are most common after a strong cold front and quick temperature drop.
