Natural phenomenon freezing rain. Freezing rain in Russian cities

Freezing rain is a rare natural phenomenon in Moscow; This is atmospheric 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.
On December 25-26, 2010, freezing rain fell in Moscow, the Moscow region and a number of neighboring regions in the zone of two parallel warm fronts. 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.” The absence of thaws and strong winds caused 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 could not 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, and there were interruptions in the operation of airports, railway and road transport, urban electric transport, landline 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 with large delays, and 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 it would be impossible to move even on skates, 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, central Russia was hit by a 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. The design is too complex. 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 the warm layer. Snow turns to rain in a fairly high layer with a pressure of about 80 kPa. Continuing to fall from a great height 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 a 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 also recorded in the Ural and Volga Federal Districts. In the city of Troitsk (Chelyabinsk region), schools were closed for two days due to ice; in Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg, many kilometers of traffic jams occurred 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 the Samara and Ulyanovsk regions, and the 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.

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 impairs visibility.

Freezing rain is a fairly rare occurrence. But thousands of people living in different parts of Russia managed to witness it. What causes freezing rain? What are its consequences? Let's figure this out together.

Features of a natural phenomenon

Rain can be different: cold and warm, with small raindrops and large drops, straight and oblique. Sometimes it literally rains down from the heavens. Scientists are still arguing about the process of occurrence of this natural phenomenon. But they all agree on one thing: freezing rain is a weather anomaly.

After many years of research and observation, specialists were able to identify some patterns. Freezing rain, a photo of which is attached to the article, occurs at air temperatures from 0 to -10 °C. This happens when cold and warm air masses collide. Being in the upper layer, snowflakes melt, but when moving to the lower layer they immediately turn into ice. If you go outside after freezing rain and carefully examine the precipitation, you can see hollow balls of water. They break when they fall to the ground. The water pours out of them and immediately freezes, causing the surface (soil, lawns, roads) to become covered with an ice crust.

Freezing rain in Moscow

In December 2010, residents and guests of the capital witnessed freezing rain. It started suddenly. In the weather forecasts compiled and announced by weather forecasters, not a word was said about this. People were caught off guard by the night's freezing rain. Photos of icy roads, buildings, cars and trees were published in print media and on Internet portals the next day.

An unusual natural phenomenon literally paralyzed the city's transport system. There was a power outage at airports. Several dozen flights were delayed. It took utility workers more than a day to fix the problems that arose. The damage amounted to millions of rubles. Owners of cars and buildings with advertising signs were affected. Dozens of trees were also damaged.

Freezing rain in Krasnodar

An unusual natural phenomenon was observed in one of the warmest regions of Russia. We are talking about the Krasnodar region. On the night of January 21, 2014, the services of Kubanenergo OJSC were alerted. It was freezing rain for several hours. At night, specialists began to eliminate its consequences.

The southwest of the Krasnodar Territory suffered the most. These include Anapa and the Crimean region. Thousands of local residents were left without electricity. Repair crews worked in emergency mode and in bad weather conditions. Some consumers have been able to “feed” on backup circuits all this time.

During the daytime, the situation in the Krasnodar Territory improved slightly. But in some places there was severe ice. The regional emergency department says there are no casualties or injuries. The consequences of the freezing rain included scratched cars and downed trees. Transport operations were paralyzed for several hours, causing municipal transport companies and ordinary taxi drivers to suffer considerable damage.

Consequences of freezing rain

Many people underestimate the seriousness and danger of this natural phenomenon. The ice layer formed on wires and tree branches occupies a large area. Therefore, it is not surprising that power lines are broken, cars and plantings are damaged.

Roads covered with ice are no less dangerous for people. In this situation, the number of accidents increases and the injury rate increases.

Additionally

The skin of aircraft and ships suffers the most from the effects of freezing rain. Falling out of this in large quantities can lead to disaster - loss of control of the aircraft or sinking of the ship.

Don't blame meteorologists for everything. They argue that it is almost impossible to predict this natural phenomenon.

Safety regulations

Each of us knows that during icy conditions we should be extremely careful and attentive. When moving on a slippery road surface, you need to watch your step. One wrong step and injury is guaranteed. After the freezing rain stops, wear shoes with ridged soles. Try to avoid frozen trees. There were frequent cases when branches broke under the weight of the ice crust and fell on passers-by.

To free your car from snow captivity, perform the following steps:

1. Carefully open the door and get inside. Many people in such a situation begin to pour boiling water on the doors. But this is a huge mistake. Due to exposure to boiling water, the paint will crack, and after some time corrosion will begin. If you don’t want to get a similar result, then listen to the advice of experts. They recommend using a heating pad filled with hot water. Apply it to the lock for a couple of minutes. Then slightly swing the door. The ice at the junction should crack. And then the door will open without hindrance.

2. If you managed to get into the salon, immediately start the engine, turn on the heater and headlights. All this will help warm up the car.

3. When the glasses become warmer, try to clear them of ice using a scraper. Until this moment, you should not turn on the wipers.

4. When the car has more or less thawed, you can go to the nearest car wash, where professionals will use water pressure to knock off the remaining pieces of ice.