black ice

From Glossary of Meteorology
  1. Thin, new ice on freshwater or saltwater, appearing dark in color because of its transparency, which is a result of its columnar grain structure.

On lakes, black ice is commonly overlain by white ice formed from refrozen snow or slush.

  1. A mariner's term for a dreaded form of icing sometimes sufficiently heavy to capsize a small ship.
  2. A popular alternative for glaze. A thin sheet of ice, relatively dark in appearance, may form when light rain or drizzle falls on a road surface that is at a temperature below 0°C. It may also be formed when supercooled fog droplets are intercepted by buildings, fences, and vegetation.

As used in aviation weather observations, descriptive of a sky cover that is predominantly transparent.

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