Eyes That See the Good in Things - January 15, 2018

The clock radio went off way too early this morning. We have weird schedules at our house. I’ll rephrase that; I keep a weird schedule. Sometimes I am a night owl and stay up really late and sometimes I’m an early morning riser, getting up to write at 4:30 a.m.

 After climbing into bed at 2:45 this morning, that 5 a.m. alarm was brutal. Not my alarm, by the way. I got interested in what they were saying when I heard the mention of fog in our area.

 See, a friend who lives in the southern United States asked me recently what I liked most about winters in North Dakota. It gave me pause because, mostly, I just complain about the winter. This was my response to her.

 “There is nothing prettier to me, than the world after a heavy fog moves through and leaves everything outside dripping in white ice crystals. Close-up photo shots of the ice crystals can be absolutely beautiful.

 The white-limbed trees reaching into a bright blue sky is breathtaking; as are the long groves of naturally flocked evergreen trees. It almost makes up for the loss of the leaves and flowers that I love so much in the summer.”  

 Photography is not one of my major strengths but I love taking close-up shots of flowers and now I have discovered that I also love some winter photography too. I’d probably like it more if I didn’t have to be outside in the cold to do it!

 In any case, getting back to this morning, I was disappointed when I got up after less than 3 hours of sleep, to see that the only frosty things out there were the steps and my car. Talk about disappointing.

 I realized at that point how little I knew about frost and what made a hoar frost happen. So, I started searching online and learned that fog does not guarantee hoar

frost.  

 My mind is a funny thing. Now that I realized I didn’t know how frost happened, it was mandatory that I I know NOW. It doesn’t matter that I’ve lived my whole life not knowing. Or maybe it was just the fact that I hadn’t had much sleep. It might have been that.

 Actually, it could still be that, since I am now at work trying to write this column. But I got here a little late because I was researching what made a frost a hoar frost.

 If you’re like me and park your car outside; when you went to start your car this morning, it was covered with frost. You either had to scrape your windows or wait for it to melt before driving away.

 Considering that it’s mid-January, we’ve already had our share of frosty windshields to deal with but this is what I found out about frost. According to a report by a meteorologist, a few things are needed in order for frost to form; chilly air, clear skies and light winds. The meteorologist said it’s the combination of the three of these that makes for the perfect frost recipe.

 Cool air is obviously a necessary ingredient, but it’s the clear skies that allow the heat from the ground to escape into space. Light winds are crucial to avoid mixing the air close to the ground with the air just above.

 So that’s how frost forms, but did you know that there are notable differences between an air frost and a ground frost? I didn’t.

 A ground frost occurs when ice forms on the ground, objects or trees, where the surfaces have a temperature of freezing or below, causing water to freeze.

 However, because the ground cools quicker than the air above, it is possible for a ground frost to occur without an air frost.

 There’s also something called a grass frost, which is where natural surfaces such as grass freeze when man-made surfaces like concrete don’t. This type of frost is of most interest to gardeners.

 An air frost occurs when the depth of air above the ground has increased to the level at which weather stations measure air temperature .

 So, effectively the layer of cold air near the ground hitting 32 degrees or below has become thicker and thicker as more heat energy is lost to space and the temperature falls.

 A hoar frost is another type of frost. This is the one I love because it’s the one we typically associate with a white, frosty morning.

 This type of frost, consisting of “little blobs of ice,” occurs when dew has formed and then freezes when the temperature hits 32 degrees.

 A feathery frost, consisting of feathers and needles, occurs when the temperature has already reached 32 and then dew forms.

 Generally speaking, those of us who want a hoar frost, need a much more moist air mass in place. In late fall, winter or early spring, one or more days in a row of freezing fog (fog with air temperatures of 32 degrees or colder) sets the scene perfectly.

 With more moisture in the air, the interlocking crystal patterns of frost become more intricate and larger, building up to a greater depth on tree branches, signs, fences, anything. This is hoar frost.

 I’m sure you’re grateful I just shared my science lesson with you and I am just waiting for that next hoar frost. You can think of me the next time our little corner of the world is painted white, because I’ll be out there trying to capture it in pictures!

 We would love to share your stories about the good things your eyes are seeing.

  Stop in to share your stories with us, give us a call at 947-2417 or e-mail us at [email protected]. Or send a letter to Eyes That See the Good in Things, c/o Allison Lindgren, The Transcript, 6 8th St N., New Rockford, ND 58356.