The Snow Fairy Was Here

Images of this morning's Hoarfrost.

Have you ever noticed there is a fine line between adults wanting to believe in the mystic stories of youth and the desire for scientific data?

WARNING: If you still believe in Santa, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny, stop reading now!

Was this morning's crystal coating because the Snow Fairy visited last night? Perhaps, but then again:

Fog is a cloud that is touching the ground. When water vapor condenses directly into ice, you get snowflakes and frost. Frost is not frozen dew.

Frost on the ground comes from minute ice crystals. The larger crystals are called Hoarfrost crystals.

Hoarfrost grows whenever it's cold and there is ample water vapor. It can be on objects or it can be the sparkle we see some mornings on top of snow (called surface hoar.)

When the crystals collide with water droplets in fog and it's droplets are supercooled (below freezing), they freeze on anything they contact.

Best conditions are cold clear nights with a very light wind. The wind circulates the humid air around the surfaces. Because fog (clouds) contain moisture (humidity) and there is snow on the ground and it was certainly freezing, we woke this morning to Hoarfrost.

On a bit of another topic, but related: Have you ever noticed just when you think you have at least a surface grasp on most subjects of this world, you find there are people who are involved in something so remote to your world it's like opening a new door to the nature of humans?

Maybe not - but, I do this sometimes when I'm researching a topic. Because I'm naturally curious, I always go beyond the topic if there is something interesting. Today, I found one of those sites. The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).

The NSIDC is scientific - scientific to the point at times I was thinking - huh? To realize there are my fellow humanoids so "into" snow and ice they are living, breathing, and studying all things ice/snow in that northern post. Cool! Both in truth and in comment.

I did notice there was no mention of the Snow Fairy. They probably save that for sitting around the igloo's fireplace at night.