Does it rain in winter? Freezing rain and six other unusual winter natural phenomena
Falling out of clouds at negative air temperatures (most often 0...−10°, sometimes up to −15°) in the form of transparent ice balls with a diameter of 1-3 mm. There is unfrozen water inside the balls - when falling on objects, the balls break into shells, the water flows out and ice forms.
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Notes
Links
- Weather review from 12/26/2010
- (Russian) . News agency "Meteonovosti" (December 12, 2013). Retrieved December 12, 2013.
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Excerpt describing Icy Rain
Princess Marya interrupted him.“Oh, that would be so terrible...” she began and, without finishing from excitement, with a graceful movement (like everything she did in front of him), bowing her head and looking at him gratefully, she followed her aunt.
In the evening of that day, Nikolai did not go anywhere to visit and stayed at home in order to settle some scores with the horse sellers. When he finished his business, it was already too late to go anywhere, but it was still too early to go to bed, and Nikolai walked up and down the room alone for a long time, pondering his life, which rarely happened to him.
Princess Marya made a pleasant impression on him near Smolensk. The fact that he met her then in such special conditions, and the fact that it was her at one time that his mother pointed out to him as a rich match, made him pay special attention to her. In Voronezh, during his visit, the impression was not only pleasant, but strong. Nikolai was amazed at the special, moral beauty that he noticed in her this time. However, he was about to leave, and it did not occur to him to regret that by leaving Voronezh, he would be deprived of the opportunity to see the princess. But the current meeting with Princess Marya in the church (Nicholas felt it) sank deeper into his heart than he foresaw, and deeper than he desired for his peace of mind. This pale, thin, sad face, this radiant look, these quiet, graceful movements and most importantly - this deep and tender sadness, expressed in all her features, disturbed him and demanded his participation. Rostov could not stand to see in men the expression of a higher, spiritual life (that’s why he did not like Prince Andrei), he contemptuously called it philosophy, dreaminess; but in Princess Marya, precisely in this sadness, which showed the full depth of this spiritual world alien to Nicholas, he felt an irresistible attraction.
“She must be a wonderful girl! That's exactly the angel! - he spoke to himself. “Why am I not free, why did I hurry up with Sonya?” And involuntarily he imagined a comparison between the two: poverty in one and wealth in the other of those spiritual gifts that Nicholas did not have and which therefore he valued so highly. He tried to imagine what would happen if he were free. How would he propose to her and she would become his wife? No, he couldn't imagine this. He felt terrified, and no clear images appeared to him. With Sonya, he had long ago drawn up a future picture for himself, and all of this was simple and clear, precisely because it was all made up, and he knew everything that was in Sonya; but it was impossible to imagine a future life with Princess Marya, because he did not understand her, but only loved her.
Last updated 02/08/2016
On Tuesday, February 9, freezing rain is expected in Moscow. Forecasters from the Phobos weather center reported this.
“This week will be marked by a lot of freezing rain. Precipitation will be insignificant and weak, but it will be characterized by a periodic transition from the mixed phase to the freezing rain phase. Moreover, it could be on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and especially strong on Sunday evening, turning into Monday night,” said the center’s forecaster.
What is freezing rain?
Freezing rain is an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs due to the difference in temperature at the height of the passage of the rain front and at the surface of the earth. It refers to the so-called “cover” precipitation, which falls monotonously over a fairly long period of time.
It all happens like this: below, above the surface of the earth, there is cold air (freezing rain traditionally occurs at temperatures from -1 to -15 degrees Celsius), and above it there is a layer of warmer air. Raindrops approaching the ground freeze very quickly - but only from the outside. It turns out that freezing rain consists of solid transparent balls of ice, inside of which there is unfrozen water.
As they fall, the balls split, the liquid pours out and quickly freezes, forming ice on the asphalt and an ice crust on other surfaces (on tree branches, roofs of houses, cars, etc.).
Note! In weather science, there is also such a thing as “snow showers” - but, unlike persistent freezing rain, it refers to rainfall characterized by a sudden onset and a sharp change in intensity. It happens at above-zero temperatures and is dangerous because it sharply reduces visibility.
Freezing rain is precipitation in the form of ice balls one to three millimeters in diameter. Inside these “drops” there is water.
ON THIS TOPIC
Ice rain is formed during a temperature inversion - a reverse, anomalous temperature distribution. As a rule, with increasing altitude the air becomes colder, but in the zone of passage of warm atmospheric fronts it sometimes happens that cold air accumulates in the surface layers, and warmer masses are located above it. Drops that fall from warm clouds, flying through a layer with a negative temperature, turn into ice balls with water inside. Colliding with a hard surface when falling, these balls break into shells. The water flows out, forming a beautiful but dangerous ice crust.
As a result, injuries increase and the number of road accidents increases. Trees break under the weight of icy branches. The resulting “shell” deprives animals and birds of food.
In Russia, freezing rain most often occurs in the Southern, Volga, and Central federal districts, as well as in the Leningrad, Pskov and Novgorod regions. Many people remember what happened in the Moscow region on December 26, 2010. The thickness of the ice shell that covered everything around then reached three centimeters. More than 50 thousand trees died.
The natural disaster caused numerous power line breaks and led to a transport collapse. Due to icing, Sheremetyevo Airport had to change its schedule, and work at Domodedovo was completely stopped. More than 400 thousand people were left without electricity. The damage from that freezing rain amounted to more than 200 billion rubles.
At the end of November 2012, freezing rain again hit the Moscow region, causing damage to transport and power lines. Cars and green spaces were damaged. But the damage that time was less: the freezing rain occurred during the daytime amid a thaw, so its consequences were not destructive.
However, meteorologists don't consider freezing rain to be a common occurrence. This is rather a natural anomaly that does not happen very often. And yet it’s worth knowing how to prepare for it and deal with the consequences.
During and immediately after freezing rain, it is, of course, best to be at home. But if you still need to go outside, then you should be extremely careful, avoid particularly slippery places and do not make sudden movements. During freezing rain, you should protect your face and hands: the sharp edges of the “drops” can damage your skin.
It is better to leave the car in the parking lot and, if possible, use public transport. If you do have to get behind the wheel, drive as carefully as possible, avoid sudden braking, reduce maneuvering to a minimum and maintain an increased interval.
To free a frozen car from the ice crust, use a heating pad with hot water. Gently rock the frozen door until the ice cracks at the joint. Warm up the car, clean the windows with a scraper and visit a car wash, where the ice crust will be knocked off with water pressure.
Let us remind you that on the evening of Monday, November 7, freezing rain again hit Moscow and the Moscow region. The streets and trees were covered with a thin, shiny crust. Car owners had to free them from glass captivity. In addition, the Lastochka and Sapsan trains stopped due to icing on the wires, Life.ru reports.
Meanwhile, forecasters warn that until December 20 the weather in the capital region will be unstable. Earlier, the director of the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia, Roman Vilfand, said that the average temperature in January would be -9.2. These frosts are close to normal, but the winter will be much colder than last year.
Like Dni.Ru, real winter will come to Moscow on November 11-12. The night temperature will drop to -10, during the day it is expected to drop to -5 in the capital and to -8 in the region.
Do you know what freezing rain is?
Let's figure out what it is, how it affects the current activities of the facility and what priority measures need to be taken to minimize the negative consequences.
In November 2016, bad weather visited central Russia. As it always happens, on an unexpected scale.
In 20-30 minutes, ice drops falling from the sky covered everything around with a crust of ice - asphalt, paving stones, steps, canopies, stair handrails. At the exits from underground parking lots, mirrors froze, dome video cameras went blind...
The culprit of all this fun is freezing rain, precipitation falling from clouds during a temperature inversion, i.e. in a situation where there is cold air near the ground, and above it a layer of warmer air with a positive temperature. The phenomenon is observed relatively rarely, but, unfortunately, it brings a certain amount of trouble.
Weather forecasters' forecasts about the possibility of precipitation in the form of freezing rain must be taken as responsibly as possible. If the forecasts come true, and the services are not ready, your facility will become a place where it will become completely impossible to move around the territory; people with a 90% probability are injured as a result of falls on ice; vehicles located on the territory may well be damaged by fallen trees, and Tenants, with a clear conscience, will photograph the resulting apocalypse and post comments on social networks with various and impartial comments…. Next, you can just use your imagination a little.
To minimize the effects of freezing rain, prepare yourself and train your staff in advance. I have already written that a supply of deicing agents should always be on site during the winter. This is an axiom that does not require proof. It is important that cleaning staff are prepared for this weather event. People must clearly know who does what, and in what order: how, in what proportions and in what volume to prepare a mixture of de-icing reagents, in what quantities the mixture should be used, where first and where last; when it is necessary to begin collecting the melted mass and, of course, people should have a clear idea of the criteria for the final result. All of the above should be understood as a guide to action. Treat staff work in freezing rain as standard procedure. Formulate and implement it, train your staff. Instruct the cleaning service - coherence of actions at “hour x” is guaranteed.
Be prudent yourself - warn the Tenants of the complex in advance using. Inform that the weather is expected to worsen; explain that it is necessary to be attentive on the territory and in the halls of buildings; inform that the Management Company will take all necessary measures to promptly clear the area from ice and snow masses. Recommend Tenants not to park personal vehicles under trees. Ask Tenants to be understanding of the situation. These seemingly small details contain the very essence of quality services. Do this and the result will please you.
At the first sign of freezing rain, begin treating the area immediately. Areas in front of building entrances, pedestrian paths on the territory, especially ascents and descents; stairs, smoking areas, bus stops, emergency routes (street part) should be treated first.
Regarding chemicals, I note that a lot here depends on the requirements for the condition of the coatings on the territory and, of course, entirely depends on the budget. In my opinion, the most effective is to use the following materials together:
- granite chips fr. 2-5 mm;
- industrial salt (halite concentrate);
- ICEMELT (compacted sodium calcium chloride);
- anti-icing reagent ICEHIT MAGNUM (Bishofite-Magnesium Chloride, corrosion inhibitor)
In a situation of freezing rain, it is most effective to use a mixture prepared in the following proportion:
- Reagent – 2 denominations (2*25 kg)
- Salt – 1 denomination (20-25 kg)
- Granite chips – 1 denomination (25 kg)
The three given components will work together as follows: the reagent will melt the ice in the shortest possible time to the state of a moving mass; salt will not allow this mass to harden for a relatively long time; granite chips will significantly increase the friction properties of the surface.
Where can I prepare this mixture? Be smart. The easiest option is to use a large front loader bucket or a small wheel loader bucket (Bobcat). Pour the materials into the ladle, approximately observing the proportions, mix with a regular shovel - the mixture is ready. Next, we quickly load the mixture into construction wheelbarrows (I hope you have them), load the mixture into them and direct the personnel (janitors) along predetermined routes.
Please note that the mass melted with such a mixture remains mobile for 2, maximum 2.5 hours. If you don’t have time to remove it, you will end up with “permafrost,” which will be much more difficult to deal with.
Attention must be paid to the trees growing on the territory. A serious visual inspection after the freezing rain is over is essential. If you find broken branches or broken tree tops, promptly call a bucket truck and engage certified professionals to perform pruning work. Please note that the cuts must be treated with special preparations for healing wounds on trees - “Artificial bark”. After application, the product forms a powerful protective film, which is well tolerated by the plant and adheres well to the wood, providing protection from diseases and pests. As a last resort, in the absence of a specialized preparation, use ordinary oil paint; paint is quite suitable as a temporary solution. Most importantly, do not forget to plan for the spring a comprehensive inspection of trees and protective treatment of wounds using a special balm, such as Etisso.
