Commuter warning: Beware of black ice on highways from freezing slush

Black ice should be concerning for commuters on Monday, particularly on shaded pavements and elevated roadways like bridges, officials warned.

With temperatures again expected to dip into the teens, highway experts said the slush from the weekend's nor’easter will freeze, creating dangerous roadways. The low Monday morning was predicted to be between 15 and 20 degrees and 19 at night, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm dumped as much as two feet of snow across Long Island, leaving Suffolk and Nassau county public works departments with messy roads and side streets to deal with on Sunday.

"If it looks wet and there is no spray being kicked up by the car in front of you, it’s ice and you need to be careful," said Robert Sinclair Jr., a spokesperson for AAA Northeast.

Airports were back operating Sunday, but hundreds of flights remained canceled. The Long Island Rail Road restarted service on Sunday, after Gov. Kathy Hochul had said service wouldn't resume until the Monday morning commute.

Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma and Republic Airport in East Farmingdale both reopened Sunday morning after being shut down Saturday. Southwest canceled all flights at MacArthur on Sunday, while American and Frontier canceled some flights, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

About 21 inches of snow fell in Patchogue, close to MacArthur, according to the National Weather Service.

Service was scaled back on Sunday at Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, with hundreds of flights scrapped. JFK’s AirTrain resumed operations from Jamaica Station to Federal Circle, but passengers would need to use free buses at other stations, the airport tweeted Sunday afternoon.

The LIRR had 15- to 20-minute delays on Sunday. Buses replaced trains between Ronkonkoma and Farmingdale, and between Montauk and Speonk, because of higher snowfalls and drifts in those areas.

NICE Bus, or Nassau Inter-County Express, and Suffolk Transit buses resumed regular Sunday service on all routes.

Meanwhile, drivers were urged to use caution because of icy conditions and black ice. Wet roads caused by melting snow or rain can refreeze in frigid temperatures, turning liquid into transparent ice that blends with the dark-colored pavement.

"The roads may be icy, so once again we encourage those that have the availability, to stay home," said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison, at news conference with Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone in Commack.

Bellone said the cold temperature Sunday was making cleanup efforts difficult.

"Many, many side streets, tertiary roads, are still covered with snow and ice that is now packed in, that is packed down," he said. "You can’t really do much with that kind of snow with plows. What you count on at this point is salting and sanding the roads to start melting that snow … that ice, so that so plows can operate."

State Department of Transportation crews were working through Sunday night assisting municipalities, DOT spokesperson Glenn Blain said.

"All state roads remain open. However, drivers should continue to exercise caution and give themselves extra time," Blain said in a statement.

Suffolk County police reported 114 car accidents and assisted close to 200 disabled vehicles as of midnight Saturday. Nassau County police said officers responded to 28 crashes from Friday into Saturday.

Sinclair said there had been a 60% surge in the number of roadside assistance calls on Sunday compared with normal weekend call volumes. "We are seeing a significant increase in the number of people who need their batteries jump-started. It’s not surprising, given how cold it is," he said.

Before hitting the roadways, he advises motorists to pay special attention to the tailpipe and the top of the vehicle while removing snow.

"Before starting the car, you have to do that visual inspection," he said. "If there’s a lot of snow caked up in there [tailpipe], you need to clear it out. It’s very, very dangerous."

The snow on the roof will heat up and can either blow off or slide over the windshield and block visibility, Sinclair said.