Flash freeze warning issued for areas north and northeast of Edmonton

A flash freeze warning is in place for areas north and northeast of Edmonton.

Environment Canada issued the warning, because temperatures are expected to drop quickly Friday afternoon and into the overnight period.

A flash freeze warning is rare, and is issued when temperatures above zero are expected to cool at a rate of 12 degrees per three hours or greater.

Affected communities include Fort Saskatchewan, Vegreville, Redwater, Smoky Lake, Westlock, Barrhead, Athabasca, Bonnyville, St. Paul, Cold Lake and Lac La Biche.

Temperatures in most of these areas rose above freezing Friday morning, causing some of the snow to melt. However, a cold front is moving in from the north and will bring a rapid drop in temperatures Friday afternoon and evening, which will cause the melted snow to refreeze.

"When temperatures are above the freezing point in the winter time, you get all the snow that's melting on the roads and sidewalks like we have seen in the last few days, and we're expecting a very rapid drop below freezing in a short period of time causing everything to really get icy," explained Environment Canada Meteorologist Dan Kulak.

Peace River saw temperatures fall from plus five degrees celcius to minus nine degrees in just three hours, Friday.

The cold air is already in place through the northern half of the Bonnyville/Cold Lake region and is expected to move south through the St. Paul area later Friday afternoon.

For the latest updates on the flash freeze warning visit Environment Canada's website.