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Where in Turkey do you live? Freezing rain seems to be rare in drier climates.
Freezing rain is more common in places that are susceptible to inversions or locations that are further south. More northern areas don't see freezing rain all that often.
Freezing rain is more common in places that are susceptible to inversions or locations that are further south. More northern areas don't see freezing rain all that often.
Not really, Freezing rain is just rare in the UK (I'm assuming that's what you're considering to be a "northern area") because it's a maritime climate moderated by an extremely warm ocean. Northern continental areas see freezing rain on a relatively regular basis because the climate allows inversions to form much more easily, and with precip around rather than only on clear dry nights. Your claim that southern areas see more freezing rain makes little to no sense, the only thing necessary for freezing rain is the collision of warm and cold air masses regardless of latitude.
Places that see ice storms (freezing rain, sleet, etc) most often are "in between" states (states not known for cold winters, but not known for being warm either) like OK, KS, MO, KY, etc.....the I-44 corridor from OKC to St. Louis is well known for its ice storms. Places further north are often too cold, doesn't mean it doesn't happen in those places, but less often or more often in late fall or early spring.
This region often has a shallow layer of cold air at the surface from the north being overridden in middle and upper layers with warm, moist air from the Gulf - perfect recipe for ice storms.
1994 here in Baltimore, MD official reporting station BWI airport observed 9 straight hours of FRZ Rain with a temperature of 18. It was a mess but once in a lifetime thing to see. Everything and I mean everything was covered in ice about 3-5in thick
Freezing rain is chiefly unheard-of round here; once it plummets below 2° C, it snows—it can snow occasionally warmer than 3° C, too. This is owing to the dry upper air of South-Westerly polar fronts up my way (i.e. Western NSW).
On December 26, 2016 it was -10C / 14F with freezing rain in Ottawa at 12pm. We had a strong low pressure from the south with deep moist air and it hit 10C / 50F in Toronto but the warm front stayed south of Ottawa most of the day. It finally reached Ottawa in the late evening hours and the temperature at midnight was almost 30F warmer, at 6C / 42F.
NYC area here. The nor'easters that we get usually start out with a quick period of freezing rain before transitioning to rain. The Mid-Atlantic as a whole is in a unique geography where the cold Canadian air is in place and then mild Atlantic air overrides it, creating brief periods of freezing rain. Then it shifts to plain rain as the maritime air takes over. Areas north of NYC like Westchester also tap into the warm ocean air but start out colder, so they see a bit more freezing rain and I have seen it there at 25ºF in rare cases. Generally though, the ocean moderates the area too much for freezing rain to last many hours.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GymFanatic
Freezing rain is more common in places that are susceptible to inversions or locations that are further south. More northern areas don't see freezing rain all that often.
Thank goodness for that. We have had freezing rain 4-5 times since we have lived here (26 years) and it's nasty. Usually it's been at the end of a cold spell after a snow. In other words, heavy snow, then clear but colder (low 20's F) and then clouds come back but a warmer front, so raining but freezes when it hits the ground. One time we had been snowed in for a few days and I finally put on chains to get down the hills the next morning. I got up and dressed, went outside and my SUV was encased in 1/2" of ice, couldn't even open the doors. That was before remote starting was invented, but the roads had 1/2" or more of ice on top of the packed snow so no way I would have driven on that anyway.
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