CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – State safety officials are concerned that rain being forecast for Sunday – coming on top of several feet of snow that’s fallen in parts of the state in the last week – could lead to collapsed roofs, road flooding and black ice on highways.

They are urging residents and officials to take precautions before the rain arrives.

The National Weather Service was forecasting anywhere from a tenth of an inch to three-quarters of an inch of rain on Sunday. In some areas it will be frozen rain.

When the rain soaks into the snow then freezes, it will create an icy concrete that homeowners may have to live with until spring.

If the frozen layer is allowed to build up on roofs now, later snowfall will be difficult to remove and could collapse roofs, said Rob Farley, the state’s deputy fire marshal.

Officials recommend using roof rakes to clear roofs from ground level.

Farley recommends home and business owners and municipal crews get out Saturday to clear around fire hydrants, fire lanes, drainage ditches and culverts. Home owners should clear all exit paths from their homes.

“It’s easier to do it now than after this added weight is added to the existing snow,” Farley said.

After the week’s snow was cleared from travel lanes, highway crews started “winging back” the snow banks to improve visibility and leave room for the next storm, state highways spokesman Bill Boynton said.

“Where we put snow is starting to become an issue,” Boynton said. He urged drivers to use caution at intersections and at highway onramps, where high snow banks reduce visibility.

Crews also are preparing for the rain, he said. “They are punching holes in snow banks to create drainage possibilities,” before the rain arrives.

Looking forward to next week’s Christmas vacation, safety officials also are warning parents to make sure kids are well away from roads when sledding or building snow forts and tunnels.

And Fish and Game Department officials warn that ice conditions are still unpredictable on lakes, ponds and rivers, in part because recent snows have insulated ice, preventing it from thickening as fast.

Fish and Game Major Tim Acerno says at least six inches of solid ice are needed to support walkers. Eight to ten inches are needed for snowmobiling. People venturing out on ice should check it carefully.

“Don’t assume a snowmobile track going across water is safe just because it’s there,” Acerno said.

Everyone should stay off ponds and lakes whose water levels fluctuate because of dams, Acerno said. Ice on Andover’s Highland Lake, where a dam is being repaired, should be avoided, he said.

AP-ES-12-21-07 1854EST