Freezing rain could make travel tonight hazardous, according to the National Weather Service

Rising temperatures should melt the ice on Tuesday morning, but whether it happens before or after rush hour remains in question.

We've gotten a serious break since the Halloween snowstorm slammed the Lehigh Valley and northwest New Jersey with up to 8 inches of tree-cracking, power-line-snapping misery.

But our good weather luck is about to change, and the lack of winter precipitation may make tonight's predicted freezing rain worse than it might have been, according to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, N.J.

A winter weather advisory is in place for up to a 10th of an inch of freezing rain between 9 o'clock tonight and 9 a.m. Tuesday, the weather service reports.

Since many roads in the area have no residual salt from previous storms, and, if you've been outside, it's well below freezing, when the liquid rain hits the streets and sidewalks, it's going to get very slippery very quickly, according to meteorologist Anthony Gigi.

"There are few precipitation types that are worse than freezing rain," Gigi said, but he added that the accumulation shouldn't take down trees and power lines like October's snow did. It won't be an ice storm, he said.

After dawn, the temperature should rise above freezing, melting whatever ice is on the streets and sidewalks. And, if the states and municipalities get salt down during the storm, it should quickly turn the ice into water, Gigi said.

"By morning, hopefully the temperature will be above freezing," Gigi said. "It may be cutting it a little close to morning rush."

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has pre-treated some roads primarily highway, PennDOT spokesman Ron Young said. Crews will be patrolling state roads tonight, ready to dump salt. Routes 309, 22, 78 and 33 will be the highest priority, Young said.
 
As the day advances on Tuesday, it should be rainy, but ice will be simply an unpleasant memory, Gigi said. The high temperature should be 47, according to AccuWeather. And unlike normal days where the air gets cooler between 6 and 8 a.m., Gigi said the temperature will steadily rise after dawn, fueled by southern winds, precipitating a quicker melt.