Freezing rain. Why is freezing rain dangerous? When does freezing rain occur?

Freezing rain is a rare natural phenomenon in Moscow; This precipitation, falling from 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.
But this is precisely the phenomenon that all Moscow residents experienced in December 2010.
December 25-26, 2010 in Moscow, the Moscow region and a number of neighboring regions in the zone of two parallel warm fronts freezing rain fell. An ice crust up to 20 mm thick, in some places up to 50 mm, covered roads, sidewalks, tree branches, wires, cars parked on the street, etc. In the following days, the situation was complicated by the accumulation of wet snow on icy surfaces, resulting in the formation of so-called “complex deposits.” Lack of thaws and strong wind became the reason for the persistence of ice and snow-ice deposits over the next few weeks (in the Moscow region until January 19, 2011).
Many Muscovites faced problems that resulted from this natural phenomenon: people couldn't open their cars because they were under a layer of ice; the trees turned into ice statues; It was very difficult for people to walk on the sidewalks, and for transport to drive on the roads - everything was covered with ice.
The consequences were, unfortunately, sad: more than 12,000 trees were felled in Moscow alone. Falling trees damaged and downed power lines. Life support facilities and hospitals were de-energized; there were interruptions in the operation of airports, railway and road transport, urban electric transport, stationary and cellular communications. The transport situation in Moscow and the immediate Moscow region was close to catastrophic: long-distance trains, commuter electric trains, Aeroexpress trains to Moscow airports moved from long delays, there were interruptions in the movement of metro trains. Due to a break in the main and backup power lines, Domodedovo Airport stopped operating for several days, and Sheremetyevo Airport stopped operating due to the lack of anti-icing fluid for aircraft treatment. Falling trees and branches damaged many cars, hundreds of people were injured, and there were casualties.
I remember very well one of the icy days: I went with my parents to the Christmas tree at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. It was almost impossible to walk, the road was so slippery. It was a real skating rink; the ice shone like a mirror, and it seemed that even on skates it would be impossible to move, it was so slippery. Many people simply stood there in confusion, and then barely reached the nearest fence, also covered with a thin layer of ice, and, holding on to it, walked forward. That's what we did too.
In Moscow, ice persisted for up to 17 days, and its maximum thickness was 10-11 mm.
But it was also unusually beautiful! I never again saw roads, road signs, trees, cars, benches, and monuments of my beloved city preserved by ice. The whole city is covered in ice! It seemed that only people managed to “survive” after the ice disaster.
And this photo was taken on that very day, which I still remember and which I am still amazed at!

At the end of December, the central part of Russia came under power natural disaster called freezing rain. Here in St. Petersburg, such a phenomenon is predicted for January 9th. Let's hope the predictions don't come true. And yet, what is freezing rain? The most common and often copied in RuNet, even on specialized portals, is the following definition from Russian Wikipedia: “Icy rain is solid precipitation that falls at negative air temperatures (most often 0...-10°, sometimes up to -15°) in the form hard transparent ice balls with a diameter of 1-3 mm. Inside the balls there is unfrozen water - when falling on objects, the balls break into shells, the water flows out and ice forms.” I can't believe it. Such small balls, there is water inside. It's ice outside. Too much complex design. Doubt arises. Is it true?

It must be said that for Russia, especially its northern part, this phenomenon is not very common. The heaviest freezing rains occur annually in America. There they are called “freezing rain” and they often turn into ice storms. Let's take a look at the American Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org, so to speak, to the experts.

So, freezing rain forms when a phenomenon occurs in the atmosphere in which a layer of warm air gets trapped between two layers of cold air. The moisture (snow) frozen in the upper cold layer melts, falling into warm layer. Snow turns to rain in a fairly high layer with a pressure of about 80 kPa. Continuing to fall from high altitude and at a decent speed, raindrops near the ground fall into a layer with a temperature below zero, but do not turn into snow or ice, but into the supercooled state of water. (This condition was observed by everyone who tried to freeze the triple point of water using the saline solution method). This condition is especially dangerous because any shaking leads to instant hardening of the liquid. Supercooled drops when hitting the ground, tree branches, etc. immediately turn to ice. Therefore, it is still rain, but icy. A very serious test for trees, each branch of which is sealed, becoming very fragile, like crystal.

A thick layer of ice can cause serious damage to nature and humans. This phenomenon is also dangerous for power lines, as it leads to their breakage. And in the mountains, as a result of freezing rain, the ice of glaciers can become so compacted that it is difficult to cut even with an ice ax.

The US National Weather Service classifies freezing rain as an ice storm if a layer of ice more than 0.25 inches (0.64 cm) thick forms on an exposed surface. Meteorologists admit that freezing rain cannot always be predicted in advance.

The thickest layer of ice from a single ice storm was recorded in 1961 in Idaho. It measured 8 inches (20.3 cm).

On December 25, 2010, freezing rain fell in Moscow and the Moscow region. According to preliminary results summed up by the authorities of Moscow and the region, about 4.6 thousand trees were knocked down in Moscow, which led to numerous power line breaks. More than 400 thousand people were left without electricity, and Domodedovo Airport was also completely cut off. Due to falling branches and entire trees, 27 people were injured and one died. As a result of the ice, 1,350 people were injured in two days. In 2010, several cases of freezing rain and intense ice were recorded also in the Ural and Privolzhsky federal districts. In the city of Troitsk ( Chelyabinsk region) due to ice, schools were closed for two days; in Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg, many kilometers of traffic jams arose on roads. A huge traffic jam formed on the M5 highway (Moscow - Chelyabinsk) in the Zlatoust area due to the fact that multi-ton trucks could not climb the slope. Breaks in power lines, overhead communication lines and obstruction of vehicle traffic were also observed in a number of areas of Samara and Ulyanovsk region, Republic of Tatarstan. (information from ru.wikidpedia.org).

We wish you a good winter so that supercooled water falls to the Earth less often. It’s better to let the usual Russian fluffy snow fall.

Which arises due to the temperature difference 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 ), 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 it 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 concept as “ shower snow" - but, unlike prolonged 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.

Is freezing rain dangerous?

Yes, freezing rain can cause serious damage. Under the weight of ice, trees break and die, power lines break, and collapse various designs, air traffic is disrupted. Due to ice on the roads, the number of accidents increases sharply. In addition, it becomes very difficult for motorists to rescue their cars from ice captivity, and for utility workers to clear the streets.

Does it fall out often?

In our country, freezing rain is a rare phenomenon. It is typical for east coast North America- northeastern USA and Canada.

But at the end of 2010 - beginning of 2011, freezing rain occurred in Moscow and the Moscow region. As a result: more than 400 thousand people were left without electricity; wet snow and ice adhering to power lines and fallen trees disrupted power supplies for most settlements region, as well as railways and social facilities. Hospitals were deprived of power.

Due to a power outage, Domodedovo Airport and Sheremetyevo Airport worked intermittently. Thousands of people could not leave the capital. Having problems at work public transport- trams and trolleybuses. In addition, many cars were damaged.

Safety regulations

When it's icy outside, you need to be careful and watch your step carefully, because you can easily slip on the ice and get injured. It is best to wear shoes with ribbed soles. It is also better not to walk under frozen trees - branches may fall under the weight of the ice crust.

How to rescue a car from ice captivity?

1) The first thing a motorist needs to do is open the door and get inside. At the same time, you should not pour boiling water on the door - the paint may crack and corrosion will begin. Experts advise using a heating pad with hot water and apply it to the lock. Then you need to slightly rock the door so that the ice at the joint cracks and it opens.

2) If you managed to get inside, you must immediately start the engine, turn on the heater and headlights, the car will begin to gradually warm up.

3) When the glasses become warmer, you can try to remove the ice from them using a scraper. It is strictly not recommended to turn on the wipers before this.

4) When the car has more or less thawed, you need to take it to a car wash, where the remaining ice will be removed with jets of water.

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 - atmospheric phenomenon, which arises due to the temperature difference 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 colder air. warm 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.

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.

Excerpt describing Icy Rain