New York, New York – Drivers across the five boroughs and northern New Jersey face a narrow pre-sunrise window where melting snow is refreezing into black ice, creating slick conditions before 9 a.m. Thursday.
According to the National Weather Service in New York, clearing skies and lighter winds allowed temperatures to fall below 32 degrees by sunrise. That rapid drop, combined with leftover moisture from recent snowmelt, is producing patches of black ice on untreated roads, bridges, and sidewalks across the region.
Elevated roadways including the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, FDR Drive, the George Washington Bridge approaches, and portions of the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway are especially vulnerable. In Bergen, Passaic, and Essex counties, as well as Nassau and Suffolk on Long Island, secondary roads and parking lots may appear wet but are icy.
Pedestrians should use caution on sidewalks and subway entrances where refreezing has occurred. Drivers are urged to slow down, increase following distance, and avoid sudden braking during the morning commute.
Temperatures are expected to rise above freezing by midmorning, improving travel conditions, but additional statements could be issued if overnight refreezing develops again.
