Binghamton, New York – Residents across central New York and northeast Pennsylvania have experienced a little of everything over the past 24 hours, with rain, snow, sleet, and even pockets of freezing rain creating rapidly changing travel conditions across the region.
According to the National Weather Service in Binghamton, the variety of precipitation types has been driven by temperature differences not just at the surface, but also in the atmosphere above it. When temperatures remain at or below freezing from cloud level to the ground, snow reaches the surface intact. If snow melts into rain aloft and then refreezes before reaching the ground, sleet develops. In cases where rain stays liquid aloft but falls onto surfaces at or below 32 degrees, freezing rain forms a thin but dangerous glaze of ice.
These subtle temperature layers explain why some communities saw slippery roads while nearby areas experienced plain rain. Elevated surfaces such as bridges, overpasses, and untreated secondary roads were especially vulnerable to icing during brief freezing rain periods, even when air temperatures hovered just above freezing.
Motorists are urged to remain cautious during mixed-precipitation events, as conditions can change quickly over short distances. Slowing down, increasing following distance, and avoiding sudden braking can reduce accident risk.
As temperatures fluctuate through the remainder of the day, additional transitions between precipitation types remain possible. Travelers should monitor local advisories and be prepared for changing conditions, especially during the evening and overnight hours when surfaces cool more rapidly.
