Ice Storm Junipers #1
by J McCombie
Title
Ice Storm Junipers #1
Artist
J McCombie
Medium
Photograph
Description
As the storm continued from morning through night and into the next day, the freezing rain formed into icicles which adorned the branches of the Junipers. Unlike the deciduous trees, where the ice became too much to bear and whose branches would bend to their breaking point, the icicles silently grew and the branches dropped creating a safe harbour for the small birds. Fresh snow fell and draped itself like woolly sleeves on top of the icy fingers trailing from the juniper's twigs and branches. Finally the ice disappeared as silently as it had arrived when the sun shone in days to follow.
An ice storm is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain, also known as a glaze event or, in some parts of the United States, as a silver thaw. The U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulation of at least 0.25-inch (6.4 mm) of ice on exposed surfaces. From 1982 to 1994, ice storms were more common than blizzards and averaged 16 per year. They are not violent storms, but instead commonly perceived as gentle rains occurring at temperatures just below freezing. For this reason people may be unaware of the danger if it happens overnight.
The freezing rain from an ice storm covers everything with heavy, smooth glaze ice. In addition to hazardous driving or walking conditions, branches or even whole trees may break from the weight of ice. Falling branches can block roads, tear down power and telephone lines, and cause other damage. Even without falling trees and tree branches, the weight of the ice itself can easily snap power lines and also break and bring down power/utility poles; even electricity pylons with steel frames. This can leave people without power for anywhere from several days to a month. According to most meteorologists, just one quarter of an inch of ice accumulation can add about 500 pounds (230 kg) of weight per line span. Damage from ice storms is highly capable of shutting down entire metropolitan areas.
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the mountains of Central America.
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January 20th, 2014
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