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Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News
Paul Huttner

Weather art: Spectacular rime ice formations across Minnesota

Thick freezing fog creates perfect conditions for accumulating rime ice.

Rime ice near Duluth
Rime ice near Duluth on January 7, 2021.
Joe Moore, Duluth NWS Office

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Rime Ice

An opaque coating of tiny, white, granular ice particles caused by the rapid freezing of supercooled water droplets on impact with an object. -NOAA National Weather Service glossary

It’s a winter weather laboratory across Minnesota.

Thick fog and temperatures below freezing are creating some beautiful rime ice displays.

Rime ice is formed as supercooled water droplets for intricate ice designs on objects. In Minnesota rime is often most visible on trees. Lately, it’s produced some spectacular rime ice formations that look like weather art.

Dense fog advisories

Our quiet but relatively mild winter weather pattern continues to be near ideal for rime ice accumulations at night into the early morning. As temperatures fall to the dew point, thick fog forms.

Dense fog advisories are in effect for most of central Minnesota into Friday morning. They will likely expand in coverage as local NWS offices issue new advisories during the late afternoon forecast cycle.

Watch out for icy conditions underfoot and on roadways. And enjoy the often spectacular frocking of trees and other objects as you wake up Friday morning.