Traffic warning: Flash freeze around noon tomorrow after tons of rain

Submitted by YoYoMoMa t3_zsq0go in baltimore

For those of you that have never lived through conditions like this, it is about as bad as the roads can ever get. The rain will mean the crews cannot salt the roads, and the temperature is supposed to go from 40 to 10 in a matter of hours. Plus, the friday before Christmas means tons of people travelling. I cannot recommend staying home if at all possible more. Last time we went through something similar people were sleeping in their cars and abandoning them on highways.

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BmoreCityDOT t1_j19nsjd wrote

In addition to what you mentioned, wind will jump from 10 mph to nearly 30 mph. Warnings will be posted soon.

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HardMilkskin t1_j1awpu6 wrote

Is it true that the city can't salt the roads when it is raining?

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BmoreCityDOT t1_j1b11r4 wrote

That's correct. Normally we pretreat with brine (you'll see stripy salt lines on the road) but the rain we're getting would render that useless... it would just wash away.

Instead, we'll be standing by to treat roads as soon as it begins to freeze as the rain tapers off.

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tEnPoInTs t1_j1dynf5 wrote

I just want to say it's very cool that BCDOT jumps onto this sub to keep us informed from an authoritative source. I did not know that was a thing. Thanks!

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BmoreCityDOT t1_j1e13rf wrote

That's very kind of you 🥰 We're happy to help

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tEnPoInTs t1_j1e7pp6 wrote

Just out of curiosity, since the earlier conversation was from yesterday, it looks like the sun came out and i can't see too much moisture on the roads out my window as the temp drops. Is it safe to say we may be in better shape than expected today?

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BmoreCityDOT t1_j1e7x0i wrote

It depends on where in the city you are. We did get a LOT of rain, and some areas of the city have better drainage than others. While the sun is out, the temp is not expected to rise above freezing for several days.

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tEnPoInTs t1_j1ea9dr wrote

Much appreciated. I'm in Fells and have pretty good drainage in this area so it might be deceptive.

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ladyelizabeth_2nd t1_j198nrx wrote

Thank you for sharing this information.

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YoYoMoMa OP t1_j199fuy wrote

I lived through the craziness that was January 2011, and this has all the makings of something similar.

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temptags t1_j199zpw wrote

My wife (along with a bunch of others) had to abandon her car on I-83 during the late January snow storm we got that year.

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YoYoMoMa OP t1_j19cd31 wrote

I barely got home! And by home I mean I got about a mile away and parked and walked. Had to go past my blocked exit ramp on 83, go north, turn around and take the only free one going south. Shit was like the walking dead that night.

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temptags t1_j19lkj1 wrote

Yeah, it was crazy for her that night. She was fortunately able to get a ride with a good samaritan and I managed to pick her up from the gas station nearby. Others abandoned and started walking like you mentioned!

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s2theizay t1_j19s9z5 wrote

Weren't there like, 700 accidents before rush hour even got fully underway that morning? It's seared in my memory

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YoYoMoMa OP t1_j19u2ps wrote

It was afternoon IIRC. Everyone went to work and then the rain turned to ice and snow at like 2 or 3 and then things descended into thunderdome. I almost got hit by a fishtailing tow truck.

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s2theizay t1_j1aa2oj wrote

That's right. I just remember being asked if I was going to work and laughing them off the phone

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tastywiings t1_j19jtyo wrote

> temperature is supposed to go from 40 to 10 in a matter of hours.

I've heard reports of the temperature dropping in just an hour. Much faster than previous fronts. Absolutely wild.

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MattDaCatt t1_j1a16r7 wrote

Time to be reminded of all the ligament injuries I've had!

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RL_Mutt t1_j1afmep wrote

Ugh. The metal in my ankle and the metal in my shoulder are ping-ponging pain across my body today.

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aoife_too t1_j1c2pr5 wrote

Ugh. I should probably resign myself to the incoming migraine.

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moderndukes t1_j1cs3ia wrote

The worst will be from 9am to 10am in it dropping ~10 degrees. But overall it will go from 54 degrees at midnight today to 8 degrees Saturday morning.

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BeatRick t1_j19uy7k wrote

Thank you for this post. I moved from South Texas in the summer, and therefore, have no previous experience with true winter weather. I had planned to go to the movies tomorrow, but now I'm not risking it.

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YoYoMoMa OP t1_j19vcvs wrote

Yeah. Snow is scary, but unless it is dumping a blizzard on you it doesn't act that different than rain, assuming the crews have put down salt. Ice is really what you have to look out for, and ice right after rain is the most difficult situation. I really wish they would declare something so that peoples works would shut. Only thing I can think is retailers will be pissed.

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moderndukes t1_j1csuf9 wrote

Don’t risk it. The DOT account confirmed they won’t be able to pretreat the roads due to it being a rain event before the rapid temperature drop, so they have to standby for when the freeze begins to start treating. That’ll be around 11am, and given how past flash freezes have gone (and that the temperature will just keep plummeting down to single digits while winds will be 30mph), I would highly advise to not go out unless absolutely necessary. Things should be fine on Saturday though (albeit cold as fuck)

Also - make sure to keep your water taps open. Just a slight drop will help make sure your pipes don’t freeze (and burst)

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todareistobmore t1_j1akl9c wrote

An afternoon movie should be fine, just keep an eye on traffic reports through the morning. The temperature drop's not supposed to really start until the precipitation's over, and roads aren't going to freeze while people are driving on them. I'd be more worried about eating it on a sidewalk.

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StinkRod t1_j1d4bsf wrote

places in Colorado dropped 30 degrees in an HOUR.

Yeah, you might be right that roads that are being driven on don't freeze as fast as clear roads, but we're seeing such rapid temperature drops that all bets are off.

If you need to drive your baby to the hospital, that's one thing. This dude is talking about going to a movie. It can wait.

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todareistobmore t1_j1dd2mg wrote

> places in Colorado dropped 30 degrees in an HOUR.

Sure, but we're not in Colorado. Here, it's supposed to drop 30 degrees in 12 hours.

If the roads are OK at 1, they'll probably be still be OK at 4, and if they're not, it'll be all over Waze, local news, and everywhere else that people talk. FWIW, I have no idea how likely it is that it'll be safe to drive this afternoon, I more think it'll be easy to tell whether it is or isn't.

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youwantmybiscuits t1_j1awmd6 wrote

dam man.. thinking of all the poor stray animals out there especially tomorrow when it drops to around the 10's. as someone who has a cat whenever winter comes around there's this sort of extra depression that kicks in cause ya can't help but feel down about so many stray animals out there especially kittens/cats. or just animals in general.

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eyesabovewater t1_j1aziun wrote

Ppl can put out styrofoam coolers with blankets in them. Face the opening away from the wind.

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okdiluted t1_j1c0gxa wrote

straw over blankets!!! or shredded newspaper, cardboard, etc. if you really can't get any straw. blankets are pretty dangerous because they freeze if they get damp, and then can end up killing animals from hypothermia!

also if people are feeling really welcoming, a bathroom is an ideal cat quarantine zone for a stray who needs a warm place to stay.

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youwantmybiscuits t1_j1azp34 wrote

yea i'm gonna try and do that here where i am but i rarely see any stray kittens still i guess. it's not much at all but idk man. just was sharing how sad it feels for me personally around this time.

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eyesabovewater t1_j1bccuu wrote

I get it. Every sad animal that looks my way i do something for, and ppl are assholes. And if you have something, hell, even a box, put it out. Ya never know what prowls around at night!

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dopkick t1_j19mntb wrote

The sidewalks could be treacherous as well. If you need to leave the house via ANY mode of transportation you should really, really try to be back before noon. I've definitely seen the sidewalks turn to solid sheets of ice here a few times and it's not fun.

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VRisNOTdead t1_j19vl67 wrote

There was also that semi that just PLOWED into like 14 cars on 95

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desertfl0wer t1_j19tjry wrote

Ugh, I’m definitely not looking forward to tomorrow. I work home health and drive around all day but I’m definitely not going to risk my life if it’s dangerous.

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BrainlessPhD t1_j1adn7z wrote

As someone who works for Medicare, thanks for all the great work you do. But absolutely, don't risk your safety!

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onlythehappiests t1_j1a1w5l wrote

And while you’re staying safely at home, don’t forget to turn your taps on to a very thin trickle! If you have exposed pipes in an unheated area, keeping a space heater by them is not a bad idea either. And opening sink cabinets that are adjacent to exterior walls to let warmed air circulate around them. Single-digit degrees are no joke.

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liminalquark t1_j1a8v94 wrote

This our first winter in Baltimore and we had planned on driving out of town tomorrow after work. Definitely not doing that now. Not worth the risk.

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nzahn1 t1_j19xdq6 wrote

It’s going to get real cold, real quick. Go to bed tonight near 50, and by the time you go to bed Friday it will be under 10.

https://imgur.com/a/bQ4yfdA

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awaybaltimore410 t1_j1aja9c wrote

Fuck it. I lived on Greenmount Ave in 99. Shit was cray

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1platesquat t1_j19t3nt wrote

It’s supposed to be pretty windy. Won’t that help dry things out? Or is that not a thing

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JohnBarleyCorn2 t1_j1b64wn wrote

last time was in 1996, right?

I couldn't even WALK up my driveway...went back in and went back to bed for the next week.

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moderndukes t1_j1ct5e5 wrote

There was a flash freeze event maybe 2014 or 2015? Whenever the last polar vortex winter was

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420EdibleQueen t1_j1aa2hb wrote

Yeah it’s gonna get bad fast. My daughter was planning on heading north to family in PA tomorrow, but in light of the weather they’re leaving tonight so they’ll be there before I gets bad in either place. I’ll be heading out myself, but not until Saturday morning, after the worst is through and the crews can get to the roads a bit

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_Alvin_Row_ t1_j1ayeai wrote

Wonderful, have a 440 train to Philly, looks like I'll be getting to Penn station at like 10 a.m.

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good_fox_bad_wolf t1_j1bd22u wrote

My weather app says rain in the morning turning to snow for a short time and then clear and sunny but cold. What am I missing? I figure I'll drive to work in the rain and by time I go home the precipitation will be long over.

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sbwithreason t1_j1bn1n1 wrote

It’s going to drop in temperature so quickly that the ground, which will be wet from the continuous rain, will almost instantly freeze into dangerously icy conditions…. And it will be so cold that none of that will melt without treatment

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ahbagelxo t1_j19d55c wrote

So I'm guessing this is happening overnight Friday into Saturday? Was looking at the weather to see when to expect this. Thanks for the heads up!

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ahbagelxo t1_j19db9d wrote

Totally missed "noon" in the title 🤦🏻‍♀️

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YoYoMoMa OP t1_j19es2t wrote

Wunderground has a good graph that shows when it will cross the line -

Click 10 day forecast

Looks like it is creeping earlier. 10am now. By 1pm it will feel like 9 degrees outside, so not a good time to get in an accident or get stuck.

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RobAtSGH t1_j19dluo wrote

Temps start dropping like a rock late Friday morning. Below freezing after 10am, continuing to drop into the night with overnight lows near 10F.

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JonesBoyFan2018 t1_j1aiu8l wrote

We left yesterday on our drive to the Pittsburgh area to avoid the weather. Planning on coming back Monday late morning. Do you think we'll have any issues?

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Aol_awaymessage t1_j1dll5w wrote

I remember when that poor truck driver crashed on 95 and the truck went over the edge a couple of years ago

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M3g4d37h t1_j1aomyk wrote

Hey guys, sunny in San Jose today. I rode my Kawasaki down to order the prime rib for christmas.. In my t-shirt.

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lasthorizon25 t1_j1axukk wrote

Yeah but San Jose

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M3g4d37h t1_j1azy0t wrote

San Jose is great, dude. Don't get me wrong, I love my hometown, but it's nice to step out of your comfort zone.

Oddly enough, all of the legitimate complaints I'd heard over the years (COL, rent, etc.) is pretty much the same there now as well. So all of the costs of being in paradise, but it's Baltimore.

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PieceOfPie_SK t1_j1dfn96 wrote

https://www.bestplaces.net/compare-cities/baltimore_md/san_jose_ca/costofliving uh huh

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M3g4d37h t1_j1ej8ev wrote

It's funny you think this is a flex.

Real estate is a supply vs demand business. The difference is a city with a much higher standard of living, we had IIRC about 35 homicides this year, as opposed to Baltimore's 325. We don't live in a city full of traffic cameras and shitty services that vaporize when you need them. Baltimore isn't even a top-rate second-tier city any more, and hasn't been for forty years. Happenings in San Jose and it's people are in the news most days, you guys make the news when the citizens are burning down your city as a result of some of the worst governance and policing in any city in the US.

Serious question: Have you ever been anywhere else? Because you sounds like the prideful dude who is hurr durr Baltimore the best! (Shoutout to Brooklyn Park, lol)

You can still love a place and not be blinded the the reality of what it is. Also, maybe have a look at the glass house you're standing in while holding that rock, because you just sound like a dummy.

In other words - You get what you pay for, son.

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PieceOfPie_SK t1_j1fdk2r wrote

Hey dumbass, its not a flex its just that saying that baltimore has the same cost of living problems as san jose is just completely incorrect. I don't think baltimore is the greatest place on the planet, it's just a relatively affordable one compared to san jose of all places.

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M3g4d37h t1_j1ffmiv wrote

It's all relative.

And yeah, you were flexing. Now, move the fuck along.

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BmoreBoog t1_j1b25k0 wrote

Haha same, except St Pete, a Yamaha and a grouper sammy

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