Created: 01/12/2009 3:55 PM KSTP.com | Print Story By: Dave Dahl

Are we getting more Ice Storms this winter compared to a "normal" winter?

We are starting out that way.  On average we get minor "ice storms" about 2 to 4 times during a winter season.  We get one major "Ice Storm" nearly every other year in our state.  Damage to trees and property usually is in the millions of dollars with each event, but can be in the tens of millions in severe cases.  Nationally damage totals exceed 200 million dollars every year.

Just last week we had what would be considered a minor ice storm in most record books, but it still caused damage and other headaches from southern Minnesota into western Wisconsin.  The Deep South makes news headlines every time ice coats the roadways there, as was the case in Texas earlier this week.  New England seems to get their share of ice during the winter season and they’ve had a few ice storms already and technically winter has just begun.

So why does it rain when temperatures are below freezing?  Even though the temperature at the surface may be below freezing, somewhere between the cloud and the ground the temperature is above freezing.  That may be a very shallow layer of air that melts the snowflakes as they fall, but it doesn’t have enough time to re-freeze until it makes contact with the frozen objects at the surface.  It creates a beautiful scene once sunshine makes an appearance producing what looks like a glass menagerie over the trees and power lines of the landscape.

Unfortunately driving and even walking can be a chore the day after an ice storm moves through.  We are on pace to have more than the normal amount of icy commutes this season and it looks like the next few weeks will help us add to our total.

Have a great day!

Meteorologist Dave Dahl