Ice Storm? Dec 11/12, 2008

[Resident 2B]

It is starting to look more and more like an ice storm for the next 24 to 36 hours. Ice build up of an inch or so is possible in some areas.

Ice storms are very hard to predict, but a layer of cold air trapped at the surface under a warmer layer is what causes the ice and not sleet or snow. The snow falls through the warmer layer, melts into water at about 35 - 40 degrees F, then remains as water until it hits the ground/trees/power lines that are in the trapped layer of cold air.

If the trapped cold air layer is too thick, you get sleet, something a lot easier to deal with than ice. This is because the water has a chance to freeze before it hit the ground. Sleet is small ice pellets and it bounces when it hits the ground.

I hope it is sleet, but it is looking like ice to me right now.

R2B

[CanisLupusArctos]

Snow began late this morning and has accumulated 0.1" before changing over to sleet. The temperature is now 29 degrees and dropping slowly. Soon the sleet will change to freezing rain.

The National Weather Service is advising that travel be curtailed this afternoon and tonight except in an emergency. Ice accumulations of an inch are possible.

Like R2B said, ice storms are very difficult to predict because they involve layers of different-temperature air stacked on top of each other at different altitudes. It can behave the same way as the lake water mixes at various depths early in the summer - you get warm spots and cold spots and when you jump in, you never know what you're going to get.

[NHKathy]

2249

so pretty!

hope fully not too slippery or dangerous though...

[Lakegeezer]

That picture of Meredith (Oops! Centre Harbor - thanks Eagle) from the Mt. Washington would make a good Christmas card.

[The Eagle]

Hi Lake Geezer!
I am pretty sure that photo is of Center Harbor and not Meredith. Youre right, it would make a beautiful X-Mas card!
The Eagle

[Resident 2B]

It is raining at a fairly good rate with the temp at 28 degrees at this time here at the Weirs. The trees are getting loaded with ice. However, the rain rate is keeping the roads somewhat wet and not that icy. The highway folks are doing a great job with sand and salt on the main roads.

There are several scanner reports of power line/tree contacts with small fires and a few transformer fires. This is likely to get worse over night.

I agree with the previous posters. Great winter scene!

R2B

[trfour]

We even got snow here in Dallas/Fort Worth from this thing!

Story; http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28193030