Icy conditions on their way to Miami Valley; potential impacts, timing

DAYTON — A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for the Miami Valley as freezing rain makes its way to the region.

Storm Center 7 Meteorologist Britley Ritz will break down the new models and timing on News Center 7 Daybreak at 4:25 a.m.

Any amount of ice is dangerous and can cause travel difficulties.

Timing:

Freezing rain is likely from tonight into Tuesday morning, according to Storm Center 7 Chief Meteorologist Austin Chaney.

Rain could begin as early as 9-10 p.m. across the northwestern Miami Valley.

This will likely be 3 to 4 a.m. for the Dayton area.

Either way, slick conditions will likely develop in time for the morning commute.

Issues begin to resolve themselves as temperatures warm by mid to late morning.

Impacts:

Any surface that gets wet overnight into Tuesday morning could become slick.

This includes sidewalks, porches, handrails, roads, and bridges.

The roads may become icy before bridges due to very cold ground temperatures.

Power outage potential:

The potential for an outage is low but not zero.

The greatest risk of spotty outages could be across the northwest Miami Valley where ice is more expected.

Power outages become more of a possibility when accumulations exceed .25 of an inch.

We are not currently expecting totals to exceed .25″, but a few locations across Mercer, Darke, and Auglaize counties could get close.

Key takeaway, assume any wet, unsalted surface could be slick between now and mid-morning Tuesday.