As temperatures drop, frost flowers create breathtaking icy displays, turning ordinary landscapes into enchanting winter gardens
Témiscouata: It’s getting chilly again, and that means lakes are starting to freeze over. If there’s no snow around, you might just catch a glimpse of something magical!
On those cold, calm days with no wind, frost flowers can pop up on thin layers of ice. It’s a pretty neat sight! The ice surface needs to be warmer than the air, which usually happens when the sun shines on it.
This temperature difference causes the ice to turn into water vapor, a process called sublimation. The vapor rises and meets the colder air above, where it refreezes into beautiful, delicate crystals.
It doesn’t take much water vapor for these frost flowers to form. The result? Gorgeous little clusters of ice that look just like blooming flowers!
While you can find frost flowers wherever it’s below freezing, they’re especially common in dry areas where sublimation happens more easily. And guess what? They can even form on plants and other surfaces with a layer of ice!
Have you spotted these stunning frost flowers before? We’d love to see your photos! Share them with us on social media using #ShareYourWeather.
