National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Freezing fog and freezing drizzle enveloped much the Inland Northwest during the period of 13-23 January 2009. The area most affected by this was the high plateau region along Highway 2 between Wenatchee and Spokane. Below are some of the pictures taken at the NWS Spokane office showing the accumulation of rime on various objects.

Rime at NWS Spokane

 

Rime at NWS Spokane

 

Rime at NWS Spokane

 

In this picture below, note how the rime grew preferentially on one side of the branches. This was actually the side the light wind (1-3 mph) was blowing from.

 

Rime on tree branches

 

In addition to making for interesting ice formations, the freezing fog and drizzle caused serious problems with power outages. Power lines and transformers became encased in the ice and frost. The weight of this additional ice caused downed power lines and power outages along the area of Highway 2 between Spokane and Almira. The photos below were provided courtesy of Avista Corp.

 

 

Rime accumulation on power line

 

Frost and Ice accumulate on power substation