Black ice formed around the Tri-Cities area early Monday morning, causing drivers to slide off the road and cause collisions.
Starting around 6:35 a.m., frigid temperatures and heavy fog left icy trails on Interstate 82 near Coffin Road and Highway 395 north of Pasco, Washington State Trooper Daniel Mosqueda reported.
Mosqueda said WSP troopers were involved in 11 collisions before 9 a.m. due to slick roads.
No one was seriously injured.
Mosqueda said the Washington State Department of Transportation spent the morning applying de-icer to overpasses and areas known to be slippery.
Mosqueda advises drivers to leave 15 or 20 minutes earlier than usual to get to their destination.
“That way they’ll slow down and avoid a collision,” he said.
The Department of Energy is advising workers commuting to the Hanford Nuclear Power Plant to drive with caution and plan for longer drives due to heavy fog and ice at the site.
Daytime temperatures are expected to rise to near 50 degrees in the region most of this week, according to the National Weather Service.
Temperatures are expected to be near freezing on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.