During the winter, we listen to the weather forecast and often hear that sleet or black ice is expected. No one has ever thought about the fact that these are completely different phenomena. We’ll talk about this in our article today.

What is black ice?

This is what radio stations report about in order to warn vigilant motorists against accidents on the roads.

Black ice is nothing more than ice that can appear on the road surface, roofs of houses, sidewalks, soil, and so on. Popularly it has a second name: “slippery road”. Formed on the surface of the earth due to a thaw or from rain during a sharp drop atmospheric pressure(cooling).

Black ice occurs due to the melting of snow cover or ice due to sudden warming. Often occurs when temperatures change around 0 degrees Celsius. Black ice is also called snow and slush (snow with water) compacted by feet and car tires, as well as frozen puddles.

Therefore, when the media report about the upcoming icy conditions, it is necessary to move carefully on the streets, and motorists must be careful on the roads. It can last for a long time until the slippery road is covered with fresh snow or a thaw occurs. Now it’s clear what icy conditions are.

What is ice?

A completely different phenomenon is also typical for the cold season, but does not last long. This is a layer of ice on exposed surfaces. Formed from frozen drops after supercooled precipitation, only when low temperatures atmospheric pressure.

In simple words, this is the freezing of ice on tree branches, ground, wires, and so on, associated with the glaciation of precipitation that fell on a cold surface at sub-zero temperatures.

Thus, ice and black ice are two different concepts. Appear at air temperatures from 0 to -12 and from 0 to +3 degrees Celsius, respectively.

What is it like, ice?

As a rule, the ice thickness reaches one or more centimeters. If the norm is exceeded, glaciation can cause enormous harm:

• Cut power lines.
• Cover cars with crust.
• Breaking trees.
• May be accompanied by injury to people.
• Causes car accidents.

The icy crust layers throughout the winter as supercooled drops fall. The resulting ice on houses, cars, and trees can last up to several days. The increase occurs in no more than sixty minutes, but it melts only upon evaporation.

What is the difference between black ice and icy conditions?

What they have in common is a danger to people. As for the differences, they are as follows: ice is formed from the fall of supercooled precipitation, and black ice is nothing more than frozen water that has already formed on the surface of the earth from various sources.

For example, the earth's surface, a temporary thaw. Black ice is a more common occurrence than ice. This is the difference between the two phenomena.

Forecasters predict ice or icy conditions: what to do?

Safety rules must be followed. Let's look at them:

The reasons for their occurrence may be different.

Prokofiev’s weather forecaster writes: “Ice is a thin layer of ice on earth's surface", formed after a thaw and rain as a result of the onset of cold weather, as well as due to the freezing of wet snow, rain and drizzle from contact with a very cool surface."

According to weather forecasters, glaze is ice on horizontal surfaces, i.e. on the ground and roads, and ice is ice everywhere: on wires and on tree branches. The poet V. Berestov absolutely accurately used the word “ice” in his comic poem:

“I can’t walk or drive because it’s icy.

But it falls great!

Why isn't anyone happy?"

Such situations are dangerous for grazing animals. Thus, in Chukotka in the early 1980s, ice caused mass death deer. The same type of phenomena includes icing of berths, offshore platforms, and ships due to freezing splashes of water during a storm. This is especially dangerous for small ships, the deck and superstructures of which are not raised high above the water: a critical load can arise in a matter of hours, and the ship will capsize. Every year, about 10 fishing vessels around the world die from this, and hundreds find themselves in a risky situation.

Spray ice on the shores of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Sea of ​​Japan reaches a thickness of 3-4 m, which makes it very difficult economic activity in the coastal strip.

Ice (GOST R 22.0.03-95) is a layer of dense ice on the earth's surface and on objects as a result of freezing drops of supercooled rain, drizzle or heavy fog, as well as steam condensation.

Occurs at temperatures from 0° to -15 "C. Precipitation falls in the form of supercooled drops, but upon contact with a surface or objects they freeze, covering it with an ice layer. A typical situation for the occurrence of ice is the arrival in winter after severe frosts of relatively warm and humid air, most often having a temperature from 0° to -3°C. The adhesion of wet snow (snow and ice crusts), the most dangerous for communication and power lines, occurs during snowfalls and temperatures from +G to -3°C and wind speeds of 10-20 m/s. The diameter of snow deposits reaches 20 cm. Weight is 2-4 kg per 1 m plus wind load. The risk of ice increases sharply when the wind increases. This leads to broken power lines. The heaviest ice in Novgorod was observed in the spring of 1959; it caused massive damage to communication and power lines, as a result of which communication with Novgorod was completely interrupted in some directions. Covering the surface of pavements and sidewalks with ice during icy conditions causes numerous injuries.

A swell forms on the road surface, paralyzing traffic, like ice. These phenomena are typical for coastal areas with a humid, mild climate (Western Europe, Japan, Sakhalin, etc.), but are also common in inland areas at the beginning and end of winter. When supercooled drops of fog freeze on various objects, ice (at temperatures from 0° to -5°, less often -20°C) and frost crusts (at temperatures from -10° to -30°, less often -40°C) are formed. The weight of ice crusts can exceed 10 kg/m (up to 35 kg/m in Sakhalin, up to 86 kg/m in the Urals).

Such a load is destructive for most wire lines and for many masts. In addition, there is a high probability of aircraft icing along the frontal part of the fuselage, on the propellers, wing ribs and protruding parts of the aircraft. Aerodynamic properties deteriorate, vibrations occur, and accidents are possible. Icing occurs in supercooled water clouds with temperatures ranging from 0° to -10°C. When they come into contact with an airplane, the drops spread and freeze, and snowflakes from the air freeze onto them. Icing is also possible when flying under clouds in an area of ​​supercooled rain. Icing in frontal clouds is especially dangerous, since these clouds are always mixed, and their horizontal and vertical sizes are comparable to the sizes of fronts and air masses. There are transparent and cloudy (matte) ice. Cloudy ice occurs with smaller droplets (drizzle) and at lower temperatures.

Frost occurs due to the sublimation of steam.

Ice is abundant in the mountains and in maritime climates, for example, in southern Russia and Ukraine.

The recurrence of ice is highest where there is frequent fog at temperatures from 0 to -5 degrees Celsius.

In the North Caucasus in January 1970, ice weighing 4-8 kg/m and a deposit diameter of 150 mm formed on the wires, as a result of which many power and communication lines were destroyed. Heavy ice conditions were observed in the Donetsk basin, in Southern Urals etc. The impact of ice on the economy is most noticeable in Western Europe, USA, Canada, Japan, in the southern regions former USSR. Thus, in February 1984, in the Stavropol region, ice and wind paralyzed roads and caused an accident on 175 high-voltage lines. When there is ice in Moscow, the number of car accidents increases by 3 times.

Frequent travel companion of winter weather - black ice. This is an ice crust that forms on any surface after a sharp temperature change. Wet snow, rain before severe frost may provoke its appearance. As a rule, it is black ice that binds the entire area of ​​small streams and other sources of moisture, so it does not necessarily have to rain for it to appear.

If there are severe, prolonged frosts in winter, they freeze the deepest bodies of water, which freeze to very decent depths, and so it begins freeze-up, paralyzing shipping. The ice will begin to move only with strong warming, when the rays of the sun begin to warm up its firmament.

Another indispensable attribute of winter is icicle- a cone-shaped piece of ice that hangs from any plane. During the day, the sun warms the snow, it begins to melt and leak, and at night the frost intensifies, everything around freezes. The mass of the icicle grows as the snow melts, then it collapses from its own weight and crumbles when it hits the ground.

It is with the melting of icicles that a smooth transition to spring, when the air temperature gradually rises, the days become longer and Frost patterns disappear, seeping melt water into the warmed ground.

Temperature changes and not even freezing rain, but, as weather forecasters called it, “hypothermia.” The drops froze instantly upon contact with any surface. As a result, shells on cars, slippery roads and sidewalks, accidents, queues at emergency rooms.

It’s so slippery that any movement means “I fell, I woke up!”The main thing is not to break anything. Today, the Internet is filled with stories of how a simple trip to the store over and over again turns into a “stay alive” story.

“I pushed off from the metro and went. Slower than a bus, but still okay”, “It’s icy outside. The dream that all the men will be at my feet is starting to come true: while I went to the store, I helped two get up, and even lay down next to one!” - pedestrians say.

Residents of the Central Federal District clearly did not expect this from the weather. A rare anomaly covered cities and towns last night. Strong wind with sleet, fog. And as a result - ice. She appeared everywhere at night. The utility workers tried their best. But it seems that in the battle with the weather this time the forces were not equal. Ice on the roads grew faster than the reagents worked.

For motorists, a routine trip turned into a testing period this morning. For starters, get the car out of its icy shell, and then stay on the road when the roads actually turned into a skating rink. However, it was hardly easier for pedestrians.

“A lot of people fell, especially when crossing roads. These yellow curbs are very slippery. There's a lot of ice there. It’s impossible to walk on them,” “When I got to the metro, I crossed myself. From the metro I took the bus to work and there I took small, small steps,” say the pedestrians.

On the eve of Women's Day, the queues tripled. But not for flowers - at emergency rooms. Fractures, bruises, sprains - all the stories are like a carbon copy.

“Yesterday it was plus, but at night it was minus, it was raining and snowing yesterday, hail. And it’s obviously frozen, and that’s it, there’s icy conditions all around,” says victim Nina Klyuchnikova.

Ice appeared not only on the roads. Here are electric trains - the icy wires spark. And dozens of flights have been canceled and delayed at airports. By lunchtime, the capital seems to be covered in milk. But, according to meteorologists, this is not the worst option. The most acute situation with weather and ice may develop in the Ivanovo, Yaroslavl and Vladimir regions.

Today's footage from Nizhny Novgorod is a confirmation. City center, zero grip.

It's freezing again this night. Therefore, when embarking on a slippery road, everyone decides for themselves how to prolong such an unexpected spring obstacle. Some people take out their already packed skates from the mezzanine, and for others, the March “crampons” have become a salvation.

“There’s such a point, they dig into the ice and don’t let you slip,” says Margarita Lavanskaya.

What is ice?

Ice, (synonym - ice) - a class of precipitation in the form of a layer or lumps of ice formed on the surface of the earth and on objects (wires, tree branches, etc.) when supercooled drops of rain, drizzle or fog freeze at temperatures from 0 to - 3 °C. The thickness of ice is usually small and in some cases can reach several cm and cause breaking of branches, falling trees, broken wires, death of crops, etc.

Ice, unlike glaze, appears only when supercooled rain falls at subzero air temperatures.

Ice is a rare natural phenomenon compared to ice - a slippery road. The growth of ice lasts as long as the supercooled precipitation continues (usually a few hours, and from time to time with drizzle and fog - a few days). The deposited ice may persist for a few days.

What is ice?

Glaze is a layer of ice (ice crust) on the surface of the earth and other objects, usually formed in winter or autumn after a thaw or rain during a cold snap, also due to the freezing of wet snow, raindrops or drizzle. Unlike ice (which is a type of precipitation), black ice can have different origins - not only from atmospheric water, however also from the water covering the earth or entering the surface of the earth from other sources.

The preservation of the resulting ice can last for many days until it is covered with freshly fallen snow cover or melts entirely as a result of a saturated increase in air and ground temperatures.

Meteorologists have noted some fascinating ice formation parameters. For example, this: on live wires, the amount of ice deposited is almost 30% greater than on de-energized wires. Or this: glaze deposits are rapidly growing in the direction transverse to the movement of air masses. In this case, the front moves from the west, then the deposits are thicker on wires located in the meridional direction. And on the contrary, with meridionally directed air flows, deposits are thicker on wires located along the latitude. And the difference is big, sometimes threefold. Where the largest deposits were observed, their density was low.

If you look closely at the crystalline growth, you can see that its surface is breathtakingly narrow and fragile, the crystals on the outer edges are more porous and loose. However, how does a light, luxurious, seemingly harmless ice raid turn out to be so destructive? The fact is that its grace is very relative.

Particularly unsafe ice dams can reach 80-100 mm in width. Such an obstacle offers severe resistance to the wind. And those ice deposits that are much smaller in diameter (40-50 mm) are denser, stiffer and heavier. Gorgeous ice crowns around wires with a diameter of up to 70-80 mm create an additional weight load of 150 to 200 g per meter. Record characteristics were also revealed: in Valdai, frost deposits reached 424 g per meter of wire. As follows, the clearance between the pillars (50 m) accounted for more than 20 kg of additional weight.

Practice indicates that it is not so much the thickness of icy deposits that causes more damage, but winds when their speed is more than 10-12 m/s. With such a double load - weight and wind - there is a high risk of wires breaking and poles and supports falling. Tragic conditions in most cases should be expected where thaws alternate with cold waves. That’s why information about ice usually comes from the south and northwestern regions of the country.

Ice and black ice often occur at the same time because they require approximately the same weather conditions (standard weather forecast phrase: “ice, icy roads”).

Sources:

Systematization of atmospheric phenomena

Wikipedia: Ice

Wikipedia: Ice

About weather phenomena

"Science and Life" about the weather

What is ice?

What is ice? Ice, (synonym - ice) - a class of precipitation in the form of a layer or lumps of ice formed on the surface of the earth and on objects (wires, tree branches, etc.) when supercooled drops of rain, drizzle or fog freeze at temperatures from 0 to - 3 °C. The thickness of the ice is usually small and in some cases can reach several...

Question

How to correctly: ice or black ice?

In the professional speech of weather forecasters, these words are clearly distinguished. Black ice - This is only ice on the roads that forms after a thaw or rain during a sudden cold snap. There is ice on the roads- a phrase familiar to all of us from meteorological reports. Ice is a more general term. This is ice on any surface: on the ground, on trees, on wires...

What do Russian language dictionaries say?

Some publications support the separation: black ice – ice on the ground, black ice – ice on the ground and other surfaces (trees, wires...). In “Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language” by S. I. Ozhegov and N. Yu. Shvedova (4th ed. M., 1997) black ice – a layer of ice on the earth’s surface formed after a thaw or rain; the time when such a layer of ice forms. Ice – a layer of ice on the surface of the earth or on objects formed after freezing drops of rain or drizzle; the time when such a layer of ice forms. The same - in the “Big Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language”, ed. S. A. Kuznetsova.

However, in other dictionaries the meaning of the word black ice expanded, its use is allowed not onlywhen indicating ice on the ground. In “Dictionary of the Russian Language” in 4 volumes, ed. A. P. Evgenieva (“Small Academic Dictionary”)black ice – ice crust on the surface of the earth, trees, wires, etc.; a state of weather when the surface of the earth is covered with an ice crust. Aice – same as black ice.

In the “Big Academic Dictionary of the Russian Language” (Vol. 4. M., St. Petersburg, 2006) for the noun black ice two meanings: 1) a weather condition when the surface of the earth, trees, wires, etc. are covered with a dense layer of ice formed when drops of rain or fog freeze on them and 2) a layer of dense ice on the surface of the earth formed when supercooled objects freeze on it drops of rain or fog. At the word ice in this dictionary there are also two meanings: 1) a layer of dense ice on the surface of the earth, on trees, wires, etc., formed when drops of rain or fog freeze on them and 2) the same as glaze (in the first meaning) (then there is a weather condition -Note Certificates).

Thus, in general use (not in professional speech) of the wordice And black ice often do not differ, and Russian dictionaries reflect the coincidence in the meanings of words. Dictionaries are unanimous: both the state of weather when a crust of ice forms on the ground, and such an icy surface itself can be calledice , so black ice . What if the ice is not on the ground, but on other surfaces (trees, wires)? Here lexicographers do not have a common position, but still many dictionaries allow the use of both words in this case: not onlyice , But And black ice .

Interesting observations about words ice And black ice we find in the book by V.V. Kolesov “How our word will respond...”: “...Today linguists decide to say that ice And black ice“absolute synonyms” in literary language, and only meteorologists distinguish black ice– ice on the roads, and ice- ice crust on trees, on wires, etc. In reality, in its natural movement, meaning is transferred through metonymic contiguity: frosty weather without snow - the time of such weather - the result of its action in the form of a surface covered... etc d. In the beginning there was a word black ice. This is a natural designation of weather conditions in winter, according to the general type of expressions like blizzard, bad weather, thaw, lightning, snowstorm etc. In Russian the words female with the suffix - itza associated with the designation of a time period of duration of some state (for example, Kosovica), including weather. Secondary nature of the word ice helps in its dissemination, it replaces the word black ice, displacing it as collectively general in meaning, but at the same time more “understandable” to modern man. The remarkable Russian meteorologist A.I. Voeikov in 1914 expanded the meaning of these words in a special scientific literature, but the word he proposed amber in the sense of “icy conditions” it didn’t take root. But this would be terminologically logical: a weather phenomenon - amber, and its manifestation – ice. Then there would be no confusion, because black ice, a word with a generic meaning includes both” (St. Petersburg, 2001, pp. 249, 250).

Distinguish

There is icy conditions on the roads - in the speech of weather forecasters; light ice at night and during the day or slight icy conditions - in general use.