Beware of Treacherous Black Ice on Missouri Highways This Week

When I give you this warning, I speak from personal experience. Beware of treacherous black ice that is lurking on many Missouri highways this week.

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By now you're obviously aware that Missouri and Illinois just got spanked by a winter storm and there's another potentially worse one coming. Most know to drive carefully when heavy snow is falling, but the most dangerous driving can happen even when the sun is out. I lived this today.

My daily travels include Highway 61 in northeast Missouri. I purposely delayed my drive into the radio station today as I knew that early morning the road would be like glass. What I was reminded of when the sun came out is that black ice is lurking in so many places.

I saw one semi-tractor-trailer jackknifed in the median of 61 in northeast Missouri today and several vehicles that had slid off the roadway, too.

How do you know there's potentially black ice on the Missouri roadway you're on?

When you see roadway that is "shiny" after a snowstorm, assume you're staring at black ice. As the US Forest Service says, black ice is like regular ice. The problem with black ice is you don't normally know you're driving on it until you're on it.

This time of year, I assume every part of the road is black ice and drive accordingly. Call me old-fashioned, but I like to stay alive and this is the best way to do it.

I saw plenty of black ice Wednesday morning and the next incoming winter storm is reportedly gonna drop ice on its own. Beware and be safe.