Educational - Black ice

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"What we call black ice is frozen water -- either sleet or rain or from melted snow -- that freezes as a sheet and is not visible as ice," says Glen Hetzel, safety specialist with Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech. "The road looks the same as it always does, which is why it's so hard to detect, especially if you've been driving for awhile."

Black Ice normally occurs in the Northeastern and Northwestern coasts, where quickly changing weather conditions can bring freezing temperatures immediately after rain. However, Black Ice can occur anywhere.