Description given on Youtube:
It’s not snow. Definitely not sleet. And it’s not quite rain. YouTube user Ethan Cottle wants to know about freezing rain. Which is kind of a misnomer because it kind of just turns everything to ice. Here’s the weather word of the week.
I’m Storm Shield Meteorologist Jason Meyers, and freezing rain consists of supercooled raindrops that freeze on trees, cars, and roads on impact, resulting in an icy glaze.
For freezing rain to form, atmospheric conditions need to be just right.
At the surface, temperatures need to be below freezing. Near the clouds, temperatures are below freezing, so snow forms. But in between the clouds and the surface, there must be a deep layer with above freezing temperatures, so the snow melts, turning into rain before it can instantly refreeze into ice.
This type of precipitation can create some of winter’s most beautiful landscapes, but it’s also some of the most dangerous. Significant freezing rain events are called ice storms. And storm is a perfect term. A small amount of ice accumulation can bring down tree branches, cause power outages, and of course, crashes on the road.
What weather terminology have you been dying to know about? Let me know in the comments below, on Twitter, or on the Storm Shield Facebook page.
Thanks for watching! See you next week!
#WWOTW
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