FYI: Interesting facts about early morning frost

You have no doubt seen the glistening crystals of an early morning frost but perhaps you are unaware of certain pertinent details to this magical icy mist of nature. I have always been amazed at how the sun beams down upon the frozen crystals giving them a look of shimmering diamonds sparkling on the ground. Frost is actually a thin layer of ice on a solid surface. It forms when water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere comes in contact with a solid surface where the temperature is below freezing.

in awe at the manner in which the Creator, chose to create such mystical amazing facets to nature for us humans to enjoy. When the water vapor and freeing surface collide, the result is a phase change where the water vapor which is a gas reaches the freezing point and turns to ice which is solid. The ice crystals of frost form as the result of fractal process development. The depth of frost crystals varies depending on the amount of time they have been accumulating, and the concentration of the water vapor (humidity).

Frost crystals may be (black) invisible, clear (translucent), or white. The coating of the frost will appear white when a mass of frost crystals scatters the light in all directions. When I was a child my grandmother told me something about the frost that I have seen play out over the years. I have not found any information to back up her theory on the Internet but I watch it play out over and over. Grandma said that a heavy frost in the morning meant the day would be warm.

This morning at 7:30 it was right at freezing but the sun was shining and the ground had a beautiful crystal covering of frost.The temperature right now is 55 and it is supposed to get up to 60. During the past 2 weeks temperatures have hovered in the 30s and 40s so the frost let me know it would be somewhat warmer today and it is. People of my grandmother's day were well in tune with nature but today we look at science, fact, and figures.

There are several types of frost which include include crystalline, also called hoar frost or radiation frost. This results from the deposition of water vapor from low humidity in the air. Hoar frost, ( or hoarfrost), radiation frost, or pruina, refers to white ice crystals that are deposited on the ground. They can also be loosely attached to exposed objects, such as leaves or wires. They form on cold, clear nights when heat radiates out into the open air faster than it can be replaced from nearby sources, such as warm objects or wind.

The word "hoar" comes from an Old English adjective that means "to show signs of older age". In this context, it indicates that he frost that makes trees and bushes look like white/gray hair.White frost forms in in humid conditions including window frost on glass surfaces, "advection frost from cold wind over cold surfaces, rime under supercooled wet conditions, and black frost without visible ice at low temperatures and very low humidity".

There is also a difference between frost and coatings of ice. When a solid surface chills below the dew point of the surrounding humid air, and the surface itself is colder than freezing, this causes ice to form. If water deposits as a liquid that freezes, it forms a coating that may look opaque glassy, or crystalline, depending on its type. This process also may be considered as atmospheric icing. The ice that is produced differs somewhat ways from crystalline frost, which consists of ice spicules of ice usually project from the solid surface where they grow.

The bottom line for me is that frost is beautiful to look at especially when the sun is making it sparkle like jewels. I also enjoy the reminder that when the grass is covered with frost early in the morning, I can count on a day with temperatures that are above freezing.