SYDNEY, N.S. — Nova Scotia RCMP say black ice was most likely the cause of numerous accidents on Highway 125 Wednesday morning.
RCMP Cpl. Mark Skinner confirmed the accidents occurred beginning at around 8:15 a.m.
“There were about five collisions within about 15-20 minutes of each other during rush hour,” he said.
One of the accidents in Sydney River possibly looked more serious than it was, he said
Skinner said two cars were headed westbound, following each other. One car went off the road and then the second vehicle also left the road but also rolled over.
The vehicles never collided, just happened to leave the road about the same time. Skinner said there were no injuries in any of these accidents.
“Very fortunately — including the one in Sydney River — no one was hurt, everyone walked away.”
Skinner said this time of year they do hear of collisions related to black ice either morning or supper time. He said these collisions are one of the hazards that happen this time of the year.
Desiree Magnus, spokesperson for the Cape Breton Regional Police Service, said they also received reports of the Wednesday morning accidents and motorists were reporting black ice.
The accidents were referred to the RCMP as that’s their jurisdiction.
Magnus said they did issue a warning Wednesday for motorists to slow down and drive to the conditions.
BLACK ICE
Motorists need to beware as according to SaltWire Network’s meteorologist Cindy Day, conditions that cause for black ice are expected to return here this morning and Friday as well.
Day said black ice occurs when very fine moisture freezes onto a very cold surface. The temperatures overnight Tuesday/Wednesday morning in the Sydney area dipped to -10 C to -11 C.
“The road surfaces were very cold,” she said, adding similar temperatures and conditions are expected overnight Wednesday/Thursday morning and again Friday.
She said when cars idle — come to a stop sign or a light or if they are sitting in one position in traffic — just that fine almost invisible moisture from the car exhaust will freeze on the roadway.
“Then they will take off and there’s these patches of ice on the roadway where the cars have been idling in the early morning hours when that road is still very cold,” she said. “That’s black ice and that’s what’s been happening.”
Black ice can also be formed when the wind is blowing across open water and a fine mist coats the road.
Day said the term black ice is often misunderstood saying, for example, the other day temperatures were 2 C and then dipped to -1 C and people were warning others to watch for the black ice. That’s not black ice, she said.
“There’s just regular old ice that happens when snow melts and then refreezes when it gets cold. That’s just ice.”
When watching for signs of black ice, Day said check to see if temperatures were well below freezing overnight and if the road has had time to get very cold.
“Once traffic starts to get going then that exhaust just warms the road and there’s no longer any black ice,” she said. “If you’re an early morning commuter and it’s been -10 C or so all night, the conditions are pretty ripe for black ice.”
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Meanwhile, road conditions also gave some students a day off Wednesday.
Heather Calder, spokesperson for the Cape Breton Victoria Centre for Education, said classes were cancelled or schools located North of Smokey (Cabot Education Centre, Cape Smokey Elementary and North Highlands Elementary) as well as for Baddeck Academy, Middle River School and Rankin School of the Narrows. Calder said the decision to cancel classes for these schools was made with the safety of students and staff in mind and was based on weather and road conditions.
Sharon-Montgomery-Dupe is a health and breaking news reporter at the Cape Breton Post.
