What You Need to Know About the Hazards of Ice Storms

The biggest storyline to emerge out of the blockbuster winter storm slamming the central and eastern U.S. over the weekend is likely to be the cripping ice. This form of wintry precipitation is often the most hazardous aspect of any winter storm. Here are five things that you need to know about ice storms.

Causes of an Ice Storm

Ice forms as a result of freezing rain accumulating on hard surfaces and the ground. The freezing of this precipitation happens when the air that is warmer than 32 degrees above ground level hovers over the subfreezing air circulating near the ground. Snow from the upper levels of the atmosphere falling through a warmer layer naturally melts into rain. This rain then falls into the thin layer of subfreezing air and freezes when it hits the ground, creating a layer of ice.

It only takes a slight and subtle change in the atmosphere to generate different forms of precipitation. Most areas of the U.S. define an ice storm as a weather event that delivers at least a quarter of an inch of ice accumulation. This is more than enough ice to create dangerous conditions. Even a light glaze of ice can make roads treacherous.

Potential Impacts of an Ice Storm