I think photographers are perhaps the only ones that might get a little excited when the forecast calls for an ice storm. I know I do, as long as I can avoid the normal anxieties that people have in these types of winter conditions with fears of lost power and falling trees. Even with Michigan’s crazy weather, they can be a bit rare. This past week we actually had a couple of them.
I had always wondered what specific conditions are required to create an ice storm vs. one that just had sleet or snow. It turns out that one of our local meteorologists, Paul Gross, of WDIV Channel 4, is quite the wizard (ahem – I mean, scientist! 🙂 ) in tracking and explaining all about weather and climate — in depth! With the conditions this week, he was regularly on Twitter giving updates about what he was seeing coming at us, how it was developing. He published quite an extensive article on this particular storm, but what I found the most interesting is the wedge of atmosphere he describes that contributes to an ice storm.
The thickest portion of this wedge creates a condition where precipitation starts as snow, falls through this wedge of above freezing temperatures where it turns to rain. But surface temperatures are still below freezing. So the rain hits there and turns to ice.
Unique weather conditions usually set the scene for photographic opportunity. While I would have liked to spend more time exploring around the area, the conditions were pretty miserable to be out in. So that meant I settled for a few shots in my own backyard, where our young river birch trees had nearly 100% of their branches covered in ice. There were also frozen raindrops to be found if you looked close enough. Conditions were pretty drab and grey, and I pictured this ice storm in my head with the cold deep blue chill of a winter’s night. That led my development path for these few photographs.
I will also add that I happened to be listening to some new music from Kid Koala and Trixie Whitley. They have a collaborative album called Music to Draw To: Io. “For those who haven’t experienced it, Winter in Montreal is no joke” describes Kid in the ITunes summary of the album. He follows with “I try to find records that leave some space in your head to wander off and find its zone.” This is the second album in a series where he attempts to create a moody atmosphere for which artists to create their own works in. With Trixie’s phenomenal voice on many of the tracks, and Kid’s atmospheric creations, I definitely found myself in a winter headspace…thinking of ice everywhere.
I never heard of this before so I’ve already learned something this morning. Love the frozen raindrop.
Yeah, Paul Gross is a good guy to follow on Twitter even if he isn’t your local weatherman. He shares all sorts of interesting tidbits. Thanks for stopping by Monte.
The light in the frozen raindrop image is startling and beautiful, especially against the dark blue background.
Thanks Tom. I am pleased with how this one turned out.
That frozen raindrop is magical, looking like some place straight out of Narnia or something. The other images are equally captivating. The lighting is rather special. Though, I guess that is true for any good photograph but in all three images, the lighting enhances the images not only in terms of depth but mood as well. What is more, I cannot determine its source which does add a touch of mystery to a subject matter which itself is already full of wonder. Spectacular work. Truly.
The lighting was rather diffuse in all of these because I was getting soaked by rain making these exposures. I’ll take magical as a descriptor though! 🙂
Beautiful images that really make you feel the cold. The blue tint is great. I’ve not yet had the opportunity to photograph an ice storm. They always seem to occur on work days for some reason. I’m not familiar with the music but definitely plan to check it out!!
Well, perhaps it is better to be at work than out in this mess sometimes! ?
Well let me think about that a moment…….nah, it’s not ??. What’s that they say…..a bad day photographing is better……
The little emojis turned up as ??
Yeah, sometimes seems to do that – don’t know why
Well, I came for the ice storm but stayed for the new music recommendation. Thanks, I always like to hear what people are listening to. If I’m ever in your home you’ll find me first exploring your book shelves, then your music collection. At that point I’ll know if it’s safe to stay. 🙂
I am new to Kid Koala, but a long time fan of Trixie’s. Definitely both have work worth exploring. Harder to explore music shelves these days. I guess you have to ask someone to see their phone. ?
Yes, those melting wedges of warm air are found where warm and cold air masses meet. In times past, when there was some predictability to weather patterns, those cold and warm air masses often met in the mid-Atlantic area making North Carolina a popular recipient of Ice Storms. A few miles making the difference between snow, ice or rain. It’s not so predictable now as temperatures rise and fall wildly.
Beautiful ice storm photos, Mark, love that blue hue. As a photographer, I enjoy it when a coating of ice makes everything look a bit like a “fairy tale.” But I do feel for those who suffer because of the results.
It has been quite the rollercoaster here as far as temps, 100 deg shifts within days if you count windchill. And it has been similar here with that variability just across a few miles. Mother Nature certainly has a lot of tricks in her bag.