Snow and ice

I remember around this time last year, we were aware that there were 'ice storms' in Oklahoma City. These sounded pretty scary - I had visions of sheets of ice cascading from the sky. Well, we had an ice storm yesterday, and it's nothing like that. It's not really a storm at all, in the sense that I understand that word. All that happens is that it rains a bit, then because the temperature is just below freezing, the rain freezes as soon as it hits the ground, leaving a thin film of ice over everything. (Why it would rain when it's below freezing is the bit I don't understand - I'd always understood that rain turns into snow when the temperature's below freezing).

Anyway, this film of ice makes it so slippery that it's almost impossible to drive or walk anywhere, and if the ice accumulates enough it can bring down power lines. Apparently last year some homes were without electricity for over a week - not something you want to happen in temperatures like this. At the moment, because of the weather conditions, most public buildings have closed, and the Governor of Oklahoma has declared a state of emergency in some parts of the state - although I understand that's mainly because it entitles us to financial aid from the federal government.

I took these photographs this morning. It snowed during the night, so you can't really see the effect of the 'ice storm' any more.