iN PHOTOS: Conditions right for fanciful frost formations in Kamloops, Okanagan

While the Thompson-Okanagan region hasn’t seen much snow in the valley bottoms so far this winter, conditions have been great in some areas for the development of striking ice crystal formations.

Kamloops resident Karen Allan Reimer captured a layer of hoarfrost that turned her upper elevation neighbourhood of Aberdeen into a winter wonderland on Jan. 18. Both natural and manmade objects were transformed into frosty art pieces.

Both rime ice and hoarfrost crystals formed in parts of the region this month. The two types of frost are commonly misidentified by the untrained eye because they can look very similar, however, the science behind their formations are much different, according to Britannica.

Hoarfrost is a deposit of ice crystals that form on exposed surfaces when water vapour condenses to ice without becoming a liquid first. The air must be saturated with moisture and temperatures must be below freezing for the phenomenon to happen. It forms in the same weather conditions that would likely form dew if temperatures were above freezing.

Hoarfrost crystals are often more feathery and delicate than rime ice.

Rime ice is a granular form of frost the happens when supercooled water droplets freeze onto objects. It develops on mountaintops enveloped in supercooled clouds and can occur in fog around bodies of water in very cold weather. Rime ice is more thick and spiky than hoarfrost.

Regardless of the science behind the crystal formations, they are a striking sight to see during the grey winter months in our region.