Feathery Frost: This Ice is Nice

Feathery frost coated the landscape on , on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021, after a cold, foggy night in Salmon, Idaho. National Weather Service folks and online authorities seem to disagree on what to call it: rime ice, hoarfrost, freezing fog or “pogonip,” from the Shoshone Native American tribe’s word for the white death. Maybe it’s a little of both kinds. In the interest of being accurate, I’m being vague. If you’ve ever been a newspaper editor, you soon learn that someone out there knows a lot more about some subject you’ve carefully researched than you do — and they aren’t shy about letting you know. Especially about birds, but I digress. The frost, whatever it is, returned this morning.

Everything covered in white crystals is really stunning. Grab your camera and explore your immediate surroundings while any related black ice clears from the roads.

Click here to see what AccuWeather has to say about rime ice and hoarfrost.