With temperatures forecasted to fall well below freezing tonight, the Delaware Emergency Management Agency has issued a Level 1 Driving Warning statewide for the overnight hours of Tuesday, January 16, 2024, to Wednesday, January 17, 2024, due to the likelihood of icing occurring on roads and bridges statewide tonight. A Level 1 Driving Warning is an advisory against unnecessary travel due to road conditions.
The National Weather Service is advising that an Arctic airmass will overspread southeast Pennsylvania, New Jersey, the eastern shores of Maryland, and Delaware. Temperatures tonight will drop into the single digits and low teens across the region.
While DelDOT crews will continue to treat roads and bridges through the overnight hours, rock salt becomes less effective when temperatures reach 15 degrees Fahrenheit, which many areas of the state may near tonight.
Level 1 Driving Warning Definition: A ‘Level 1 Driving Warning’ shall mean that any person operating a motor vehicle when a Level 1 Driving Warning has been activated shall exercise extra caution in the operation of their motor vehicle. Non-essential employees, regardless of whether employed by a public or private entity, are encouraged not to operate a motor vehicle on the State’s roadways, unless there is a significant safety, health or business reason to do so.
The Level 1 Driving Warning will be publicly rescinded when road conditions allow.