Slick Roads

Heads up!! Even though many areas have seen little if any snowfall, the roads have become icy in many areas. You are asking yourself, "why are roads so treacherous right now even though we have only had a dusting of snow?" Well, let me explain. Since temperatures have been so warm the past few weeks, the ground isn't quite frozen in many areas. The temperature right at the surface is generally a couple degrees above freezing. So when it starts to snow, the snowflakes hit the ground and in some cases actually melt. Well with a stiff northerly wind and air temperatures in the 10's and 20's, it doesn't take long for that water to end up freezing. So, instead of just having some snow covered roads, you end up having ice covered roads with some snowy spots. It also doesn't help that because its been so long since we have received snow, the roads are untreated making it even more hazardous. Here are the current road conditions for South Dakota from Safetravelusa.com. Keep in mind on when I post this because the road conditions are generally updated a few times a day.So drive carefully because many areas are experiencing some scattered icy spots.

~KDLT Meteorologist Cody Matz