From icicles to frost, expressions of the cold abounded.
At 4:56 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, a weather station at the Franklin Airport recorded that the temperature bottomed out at 1 degree.
The station reported the high for Saturday was 26 degrees with a windchill of 15 degrees.
However, that wasn’t technically the high for the day as southwest winds drove temps up to 29 degrees at 11:56 p.m. that night. While the temperatures cooperated for Saturday, Sunday was a different story. The station’s stats for Sunday, Feb. 5, proved that Mother Nature didn’t help extend the longevity of the ice sculptures or any of her own icy art. A high of 44 degrees was recorded. Meanwhile, by Monday morning some of the manmade structures had already succumbed to the warmup. There may have also had some human helping hands that made sure the icy compositions didn’t topple onto some unsuspecting bystanders as they melted. By midweek, the sculptures were pretty much nothing but memories. The same could have also been said about any ice structures nature had created. According to the weather station in Franklin, Monday, Feb. 6, started out warmer at 40 degrees at 12:56 a.m. and then by the end of the day dropped to 29 degrees. However, it was too late for ice sculptures and any of nature’s ice art. By Thursday, it was clear that any icy creations wouldn’t have survived any way. The National Weather station at the airport posted that at 7:56 p.m. the temperature was reported at 61 degrees. The weather service had already posted that at 1 p.m. Thursday's temperatures were 20 to 30 degrees above the average high for this time of year. Pittsburgh reached 70 degrees which topped a previous record of 68 degrees. |
I spotted an interesting formation that mimicked the shape of an oak leaf. I was unsure whether the ice had formed around the leaf or if the sun had melted the ice in that pattern. The pattern contained some lines that were indicative of cat-ice. An article posted on yahoo.com by Andrea Romano described the formations. “Cat-ice, which is marked by pretty “’contour lines’ that make swirls or concentric circles in puddles or other small bodies of water, is named because the thin ice could only potentially bear the weight of a light-footed and agile cat,” Romano posted. Thinking about the cat-ice I had viewed; I wasn’t so sure than any Applegate felines could cross it without crushing it. |
Also in Mother Nature’s ice art collection was some frosted flair that included hoarfrost. AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski posted on AccuWeather.com about hoarfrost. Titled “What is hoarfrost?,” the article went into some detail on the weather phenomenon. “The term ‘hoarfrost’ is derived from the Old English meaning of frost resembling an old man's beard,” Sosnowski wrote. Sosnowski added that “frost and hoarfrost can only form when the air and objects are at or below freezing. However, while frost may form when the air is relatively dry, the air must be quite moist for hoarfrost to form.” Other sites mentioned that hoarfrost can also appear as featherlike or leaflike structures. These structures can be found on exposed plants or branches near open waterways. That’s exactly where I found several of the delicate forms. |
Facebook memories from last year, showed me that I had went the extra mile to get the closer shots. I probably even had waded into the creek.
While the warming weather took its toll on both man-made and nature ice, the plants seemed to welcome it.
However, skunk cabbage has a little trick to help it deal with the frozen ground. The plant uses thermogenesis to produce heat.
The post went on to say that while the plant loses it leaves annually, the plant itself can live up to 20 years.
Skunk cabbage wasn’t the only thing breaking through the frozen ground.
In the yard, snowflake flower leaves were seen among the grass. A few daffodil sprouts brought some green color to the dead leaves.
While the weather warms, there are still some definite chances to view some of nature’s icy art as the night lows continue to dip below freezing.
That’s just the nature of things ‘round here.