My new favourite thing, courtesy of the Spring Day 3 weather forecast for this region? Freezing drizzle. What? Yes, that’s what they said on the radio: we have a yellow advisory for freezing drizzle. And the internet agreed.
I’d never heard of freezing drizzle so I went looking, and it really is a thing: Wikipedia, the Muskoka Region website, and NAV CANADA all agree. I skimmed the explanations and am no more learned than before. Your mileage may vary, so here’s a bit from Wikipedia:
Although freezing drizzle and freezing rain are similar in that they both involve liquid precipitation above the surface in subfreezing temperatures and freeze on the surface, the mechanisms leading to their development are entirely different. Where freezing rain forms when frozen precipitation falls through a melting layer and turns liquid, freezing drizzle forms via the supercooled warm-rain process, in which cloud droplets coalesce until they become heavy enough to fall out of the cloud, but in subfreezing conditions.
Me, I’m satisfied with what I gleaned/copied/annotated from NAV CANADA:
Freezing drizzle (FZDZ) is similar to freezing rain, but differs in terms of droplet size [Editor’s note: drizzle has smaller droplets than rain] and the formation processes [Editor’s note: You’re on your own.].
It’s not just a thing, it’s a dangerous thing fully warranting advisories: because it’s so fine it creates a glaze of ice that is hazardous for walking, driving, and flying.
But I have to admit that what caught my eye was the entirely pronounceable acronym for freezing drizzle: FZDZ. In a dangerous world, we have to take the wins on offer.
Maybe FZDZ is like a scotch (Scots?) mist that instead of slowly, unbeknownst to you, soaks you, coats you with ice?
Whatever it is I can do without it.
But yes FZDZ is a keepable acronym
Jim – I don’t know if it’s quite the same as a Scotch/Scots mist – I associate the latter with water just sort of hanging around in the air, although that doesn’t seem entirely likely, does it? I find it amazing, the number of things I kinda half-know. 🙂
I say “a FZDZ” on both their houses! I don’t like either freezing rain or freezing drizzle.
Tom
Tom – 🙂
I’m with Tom on this one. I had no idea the two forms of frozen/freezing rain were distinguishable. I’m not sure they are to me, even with those definitions. I also don’t know if or when rain and drizzle of the unfrozen kind were deemed different. Furthermore, meteorologists are having a fine time appropriating names for events “up there” that include the full moons. I don’t appreciate being told what to call the moon at different times of year. Poets, these folks, are not!
Laurna – 🙂 Well, you *are* a poet, so maybe you could come up with your own names. As for rain/drizzle, I wouldn’t bet much on my ability to distinguish them, for sure.
Now explain the difference between hoar frost and rime.
Have seen one of them only once, but it was lovely whatever it was.
John says they get both in England but he doesn’t know the difference either.
He doesn’t care as long as it’s pretty.
I can’t say the same for surfaces that are slippery, however caused.
Barbara – If what you saw was lovely, my guess is hoar frost: “delicate, feathery, needle-like ice crystals”. However, it seems that the weight is the key difference, with rime ice being a lot heavier. Here’s a Calgary video that takes a shot at explaining the difference.
Had a look at the vid. I guess it’s one of those things we’ll never understand. (Joke. :D)
🙂 One of life’s slippery little mysteries.