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[Kaljaia]

There was a nice set of hoar frost or feather ice crystals on the top of a half-frozen water trough today. Since there's still 18 inches of snow on the ground, this is as close as I could get to a rock!

[Susan]

That's amazingly beautiful! And yes, that's a lot of snow, where are you? The weather would be perfect for finding rocks here, if only there were any to find. We're having another unusually hot "winter", even for Florida. Our high this week will be 85 degrees. Wouldn't mind seeing just a little snow, but I don't think I would want that much! Are there certain conditions that cause the hoar frost to form, (other than freezing of course)?

[ToTheSummit]

Too bad those crystals are so temperature sensitive, they'd make great specimens! 
Great pictures.  Thanks for sharing!

[Ranger_Dave]

You can preserve those with superglue. Here's how: 

https://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/preserve/preserve.htm

[lithicbeads]

Those are a treat! Hoar frost has to have  atmospheric water content. I usually get wild hoar frost at my house but the last month of freezing temps day and night produced none. We were too far north to get any of the moisture coming in from the ocean .Humidity alone can do it over a number of days. Hoar frost is the great killer of humans and animals in the mountains. Hoar frost can build to a great extent on the snowpack and then be buried by dozens , or a hundred or more feet of snow. Yes the mountains here in Washington have gotten over a hundred feet of snow in a winter in my lifetime and parts of the Sierra Nevada may this year. As the snowpack gets heavier from snow accumulation or the absorption of spring rain  the hoar frost layers can collapse causing avalanches of such wild destruction that only mineral soil is left on the slope. The weather service here is very good at predicting these and they usually occur in the first two weeks of May when many people are skiing or ice climbing in the mountains. I have seen mountain goats and deer die in avalanches so undoubtedly they take a heavy toll on wildlife.Personally I am planning a trip to Palm Springs for spring break and will try to forget about winter for a bit. Stay warm.

[Susan]

Thanks for the info, that is definitely interesting. I had no idea they can be so beautiful and yet cause an avalanche and such destruction. Definitely stay warm! Sounds like your spring break plan is a good one!

[lithicbeads]

Power was out all day due to windstorm. I will be happy in March when my biggest concern is where we can buy a bikini. Sounds a bit surreal  but the warm will come.

[Silverstone]

Looks like a beautiful forest of icy feathers.  Interesting comments above!  Thanks for posting these pictures, sure enjoyed them.