Washington Freezing Rain: What is It & What Dangers Does It Pose?

Washington State is forecast to be hit with freezing rain this week, but what exactly is freezing rain and what dangers do you face from it?

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Washington State: Freezing Rain Forecast This Week

Freezing rain has been forecast starting tonight for most of the lowlands of Washington State and is expected to continue in areas until the weekend. Out of all the driving conditions I have experienced, freezing rain is by far the worst and most dangerous. Freezing rain is caused by "liquid raindrops in a layer of warm air well above the surface fall into a layer of freezing air hugging the ground" according to the National Weather Service. With freezing rain, the cold layer of air the rain droplets fall through is thin enough that the water doesn't freeze until it hits the ground. That creates a very slick sheet of ice on whatever surface the rain droplets land on. Sleet is different than freezing rain because the droplets freeze before hitting the ground, however both create similar hazardous driving conditions.

Washington State Freezing Rain: Danger #1

When freezing rain is forecast, almost everyone thinks of the most well-known danger, the hazardous road conditions it creates. Once I was driving home with my Dad in high school and we were suddenly stuck in the middle of a freezing rain storm. The road was so slick I had to put my International Scout in 4 low and drive sliding sideways at an angle to counteract sliding into the ditch for the 8-mile drive home. If you don't understand what I mean, I tried to explain it better with a picture above. If I didn't keep the front of my car pointing at a 45-degree angle, I would slide into the ditch. It was so slick if I stopped driving forward at all, I would slide into the ditch. My only other option was to keep driving cockeyed down the road and luckily it worked.

Danger #2: Extra Weight on Powerlines Causing Outages

In reality, freezing rain poses much more of a threat besides very slick roads. The National Weather Service warns that freezing rain can "rapidly add weight to tree branches and power lines, causing them to snap or break. In addition to these fallen branches causing damage to whatever they land on, power outages may also occur." During a freezing rain ice storm, ice that collects on power lines can increase the weight of only 1 span by over 500 pounds.

Freezing Rain Danger #3: Extra Weight on Tree Branches

Power lines build up extra weight from freezing rain, but nothing like the weight surrounding trees and foliage can gain. In a freezing rain storm, one tree branch can be increased in weight by up to 30 times normal. All that extra weight tears down branches which can fall on utility lines and also cause power outages. The National Weather Service warns that "rapidly add weight to tree branches and power lines, causing them to snap or break. In addition to these fallen branches causing damage to whatever they land on, power outages may also occur." Find out more at weather.gov.