North Texans who remember what's known as "cobblestone ice" may feel some déjà vu this week.
The coldest weather is behind us and afternoon temperatures will gradually climb above freezing in the days to come. However, overnight temperatures will still be below freezing.
That daily cycle of partial melting and refreezing at night can lead to icy ruts in the road. Traffic could get worse before it gets better.
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According to MedStar, calls have decreased in recent days but they are bracing for them to again rise as melting snow freezes overnight.
"This is probably the most dangerous type of road conditions," said Matt Zavadsky with MedStar. "For our crews, they are very well trained to keep an eye out for black ice but we are really concerned what may happen with people who are out and about tonight and haven’t been for awhile and are going to encounter black ice when they least expect.”
This will take place through Saturday. Sunday is the first day temperatures will be above freezing for the entire day. Road conditions will improve significantly by Sunday afternoon.
The last time this happened was in 2013 when the term “cobblestone ice” was heavily used. With daytime melting and overnight refreezing, the roads became nearly impassable.
This week the Texas Department of Transportation urged drivers to stay cautious and limit unnecessary driving while crews treat iced-over roads.
Texans can check current road conditions at DriveTexas.org or by calling 800-452-9292.
