Freezing Rain

Introduction

There are many type of precipitation and one of the hazardous ones is the freezing rain. Freezing rain starts out being just normal snow at a very high altitude. Then the snow falls down through layer of air which is above and below the freezing temperature (at the same time the snow melts). This causes the snow to become super cooled. This means that when this snow that melt into water hits on any object in its way it will freeze into ice and it could be stacked with several layers which would be called glaze ice.

Causes

Freezing rain happens in winter season when rain is produced in warm air mass area. Later the rain falls through a thin layer of cold air mass area (the layer must be thin enough so the rain that passes wouldn’t freeze before it encounter with an object) below it cooling the rain to a state which is called super cooled. However if the cold air mass area is thicker than it must be the rain would freeze and form ice pellets.

Effects

Normally freezing rain doesn’t look very dangerous. Well, it wouldn’t be dangerous the freezing rain doesn’t accumulate a lot. Who would’ve thought that this water that hit the grounds and freezes leaving a beautiful looking ice would be hazardous? People who think like the line above is true are people who will regret underestimating the power of freezing rain. If the freezing rain creates ice that accumulates more than half inch tree limbs, branches and power lines would start to be destroyed. Then it will be several days before the electricity can be fixed to restore the power (this means that the freezing rain stops as soon as it damages, if it rains continuously it would be another story). The damage from the freezing rain may cause many million dollars and may be a hard work for the country’s government depending on whether it is LEDC or MEDC.

Areas Affected

Freezing rain can occur anywhere in the world that has low temperature and could at least snow. This is a map of areas that could be affected by freezing rain in USA.

Prevention

I cannot find any information of how to prevent freezing rain since it is nature and there’s almost nothing we could do to it.

LEDC/MEDC

Freezing rain would have different effects on LEDC and MEDC countries. The first factor that causes the effect to vary on LEDC and MEDC is because LEDC has less money. Country with less money would be in disadvantage because they wouldn’t have money to develop their technology or even afford technology to help prevent or diminish the damage. The second factor is that LEDC’s economy will drop rapidly because most LEDC countries depend on agricultural products which freezing rain would destroy with ease.

Why do people live in the prone areas?

Freezing rain is a hazard that is almost not dodge-able if you live in cold climate areas. If you would run away from this hazard and run to other place then more people would live in equatorial/monsoon climate areas which have more hazards that sounds more dangerous than the beautiful freezing rain. People are unaware.

Citation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freezing_rain

http://www.weatherquestions.com/What_causes_freezing_rain.htm