Forecasters warn of slushy commute on Tuesday; but temps could approach 60 on Wednesday

By Lauren Dezenski and Haven Orecchio-Egresitz, Globe Correspondents

Get ready for a slippery commute. Monday’s light dusting of snow turned into freezing rain by evening, making for icy conditions on roads and sidewalks into Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service said.

“The city has its public works crews out since early Monday, salting the roads and doing their best to keep the roads as safe as possible,” said John M. Guilfoil, a spokesman for Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “As always with winter weather, we urge commuters to use public transportation as much as possible.”

The snow started just after 4 p.m. Monday in Boston, and switched over to sleet and rain around 7 p.m., said meteorologist Bill Simpson.

Boston and the South Shore received just over an inch of snow, topped off with less than an inch of sleet. Fitchburg, Worcester, and Orange received between one and two inches of snow Monday. The Cape saw the least amount with less than a half an inch.

By the evening commute, areas north of the Massachusetts Turnpike and west of Interstate 495 began to see patches of freezing drizzle, thanks to the warm air mass behind the snow.

With the region’s recent cold, Monday’s snow was not set to melt quickly, meaning it could impact Tuesday morning’s commute.

Simpson stressed that people should drive carefully Monday night and into Tuesday.

“It doesn’t take a lot of snow to make a messy commute. When there’s five inches, people slow down. When there’s an inch or two, people don’t think of driving differently,” he said.

For those dependent on public transportation for their Tuesday commute, the MBTA does not anticipate any delays.

Although the weather caused delays up and down the East Coast Monday, as the evening progressed flight schedules returned to normal at Logan International Airport. Massport spokesman Richard Walsh does not expect the weather to impact flights on Tuesday, but urges travelers to check on their flight before leaving for the airport.

The good news for those tired of the recent bone-rattling cold? Although Tuesday is expected to be cloudy with a high only in the mid-30s, Wednesday’s temperatures are expected to climb toward the upper 50s and possibly even approach 60, according to the National Weather Service in Taunton.

Lauren Dezenski can be reached at lauren.dezenski@globe.com and Haven Orecchio-Egresitz can be reached at haven.egresitz@globe.com.