the.com/freezingrain
Rain that lies about being rain until it shatters your entire commute.
means Rain that falls as liquid but freezes on contact with cold surfaces, coating roads, trees, and power lines in a sheet of ice.
from A plain English compound of "freezing" and "rain," both ancient native words: "freeze" descends from Old English "frēosan," tied to a Germanic root for the bite of cold (a cousin of "frost"), and "rain" from Old English "regn." The meteorologist's term simply pins the two together to name the cruel trick of water that stays liquid as it falls, then turns traitor the instant it lands.
- liquid trap
- Falls as water, freezes on contact with surfaces
- weight gain
- Ice loads snap power lines and topple trees
- invisible threat
- Forms clear glaze that hides on dark roads
- narrow window
- Needs warm air layer above freezing ground
- ice storm
- Quarter-inch accumulation can paralyze entire regions
for instance
ice storm of 1998 — northeastern north america: 80 mm ice accumulation, 3 million people lost power for weeks