New York Today: Icy Commute

Robert Stolarik for The New York Times Watch out for black ice.

Updated 7:35 a.m.

Good morning on this chilly, post-storm Monday.

The weekend’s snow may be mostly gone, but look out today for something just as potentially treacherous: black ice.

With temperatures dropping overnight, all that snow that melted on Sunday is refreezing.

The National Weather Service warned this morning of “patchy black ice, especially on secondary and untreated roads.”

The authorities are taking precautions. Salt trucks were out overnight in the city.

And Metro-North has been running the alcohol train.

“That’s not a bar car,” said Salvatore Arena, a railroad spokesman.

It’s a train that sprays antifreeze on the tracks.

Metro-North has also been using gas-powered heaters on train switches so they don’t freeze.

However you get around, walk slowly, drive carefully and allow extra time.

Bundle up, too.

It will be sunny but gusty, with highs only around 30.

And get ready for more snow starting in the wee hours on Tuesday: two to four inches, if the forecast holds.

Here’s what else you need to know.

COMMUTE

Subways: No delays. Check latest status.

Rails: O.K. Check L.I.R.R., Metro-North or New Jersey Transit status.

Roads: No major delays. Check traffic map or radio report on the 1s.

Alternate-side parking is in effect.

DE BLASIO WATCH

From Kate Taylor of the City Hall bureau of The Times:

- The mayor-elect has no public events today.

- Political analysts speculate that he will name his schools chancellor this week.

- A leading candidate, Carmen Farina, was a deputy schools chancellor under Mayor Bloomberg, whose education policies Mr. de Blasio criticized. [Washington Post]

- Paul Krugman writes that Mr. de Blasio’s victory suggests that politicians are ready to take on inequality. [NY Times]

- The risks of growing up in Gracie Mansion: The son of Mayor Robert Wagner once mistook the governor for the new butler. [Daily News]

COMING UP TODAY

- Big day for Mayor Bloomberg: he’s on “The View” at 11 a.m., then meets with Britain’s chancellor of the Exchequer.

- Reader’s Digest unveils its redesign at Grand Central at 8 a.m.

- The New York Public Library opens its 88th branch, in Mariners Harbor on Staten Island. 10 a.m.

- Meanwhile, in Manhattan, opponents of the main library’s renovation plan will protest on the steps near the lions at noon.

- It’s always the anniversary of something. Today, for instance, is the 100th anniversary of the  Commerce Department’s New York U.S. Export Assistance Center. The celebrations start at 8:30 a.m. downtown.

- “Viewpoint of Billions” goes on display in the Atrium Lincoln Center through Wednesday. It’s a large American flag that when viewed through Google Glass reveals photos, videos and sound exploring American society. 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. [Free]

- For more events, see The New York Times Arts & Entertainment guide.

IN THE NEWS

- Changes that could have avoided the fatal Metro-North crash were relatively simple, experts said. [New York Times]

- A man was fatally shot in a carjacking at the upscale Mall at Short Hills in New Jersey. [Star-Ledger]

- The Whole Foods opening in Gowanus, Brooklyn, has a rooftop beer hall, an in-house ramen chef - and a vinyl record section. [Daily News]

- Hundreds of public-housing apartments have been vacant, despite demand for housing. [New York Times]

- Staten Island’s parking lots are very difficult to park in - possibly illegally so. [Staten Island Advance]

- A cookie store sells more than 100 kinds of cookies. [New York Times]

- Scoreboard: Seahawks silence Giants, 23-0. Panthers maul Jets, 30-20. Rangers snuff Flames, 4-3, in a shootout.

AND FINALLY…

1966, Mayor John V. Lindsay began the tradition of closing Central Park to car traffic on weekends, earning the affection of park lovers.

Today, the park is returning the favor: the 1.7-mile lower loop of the roadway south of 72nd Street is being renamed John V. Lindsay Drive.

There will be a ceremony at 11:30 a.m. on the west side of the park at 67th Street to mark the occasion.

Sam Roberts and Joseph Burgess contributed reporting.

New York Today is a morning roundup that stays live from 6 a.m. till late morning.

What would you like to see here to start your day? Post a comment, email us at nytoday@nytimes.com or reach us via Twitter using #NYToday.

Find us on weekdays at nytoday.com.