Rime Ice, as weather forecaster

For centuries, farmers have relied on their knowledge of the weather to ensure a successful harvest. Long before weather apps and TV meteorologists, farmers in many regions of the world had a unique way of predicting the weather: Rime Ice.

Rime Ice is a type of frost that forms on cold and humid days. It is a type of hoar frost, which is made up of tiny ice crystals that form on cold surfaces, like grass and trees, when there is fog or mist in the air.

On days when rime ice appears, farmers knew that six months later, they could expect plenty of rain. The signs of rime ice were used as a calendar by farmers to know when to plant their crops.

It was believed that if the rime ice was seen in the winter months, then there would be plenty of rain in the spring six months later. This allowed farmers to get their seeds in the ground at the right time, which was essential for a successful harvest. The tradition of using rime ice to predict the weather is still practiced in some regions of the world today. In Canada, for example, rime ice is still used by farmers to mark the calendar for the upcoming wet season. In the United States, rime ice is still seen during the winter months, though it is not used to predict the weather.

Rime Ice is a fascinating example of how people have used nature to predict the weather for centuries. Its use as a weather-forecasting tool is a testament to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of our ancestors. It is a reminder of how closely intertwined humans are with the natural world, and how important it is to pay attention to the signs that nature gives us.

Test this theory out for yourself. We have had several weeks lately of fog and hoar frost. Mark your calendars for six months from now and see what is the weather forecast. After six years of drought, a larger snow fall this winter, it will be interesting to see what spring has in store, and if, in six months time, there will be a large amount of rain.

Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) This is the brightly colored male. The female of the species will use the cattails, reeds or rushes standing above the surface of the water to weave a nest, and lay 2-5 eggs.

Please email friendsafforestation@gmail.com for clarification or for further details

For directions as to how to drive to “George Genereux” Urban Regional Park
For directions on how to drive to Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
For more information:
Blairmore Sector Plan Report; planning for the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, George Genereux Urban Regional Park and West Swale and areas around them inside of Saskatoon city limits
NEW P4G District Official Community Plan
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′
Addresses:
Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A
Part SE 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A
S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A
NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063
Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot
Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com
Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map
Where is the George Genereux Urban Regional Park (Afforestation Area)?with map
Pinterest richardstbarbeb
Blogger: FriendsAfforestation
Tumblr friendsafforestation.tumblr.comFacebook Group Page: Users of the George Genereux Urban Regional Park
Facebook: StBarbeBaker Afforestation Area
Facebook for the non profit Charity Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. FriendsAreas
Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Facebook: South West OLRA
Reddit: FriendsAfforestation
Twitter: St Barbe Baker Charity Twitter:FriendsAreas
Mix: friendsareas
YouTube
Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail / e-transfers )Support the afforestation areas with your donation or membership ($20.00/year). Please donate by paypal or by using e-transfers Please and thank you! Your donation and membership is greatly appreciated. Members e-mail your contact information to be kept up to date!
Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.
United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities
“Be like a tree in pursuit of your cause. Stand firm, grip hard, thrust upward. Bend to the winds of heaven..”
Richard St. Barbe Baker

Seasons Greetings

Merry Christmas, best holiday wishes, and seasons greetings

The holiday season is upon us, and out at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area seasons greetings abound.  Out at the South West Off Leash Recreation Area, a note waves in the breeze wishing one and all a Merry Christmas.  A little further along the path, a Scot Pine is decorated.  The note welcomes further contributions if anyone wishes to grow the decorations on this little tree for Christmas.

Little plastic covers are attached to the Christmas note.  These plastic bags would hold photos of your favourite pet to commemorate them on the SW OLRA Christmas Tree.

The seasonal note ends with a wonderful blessing to “please enjoy and all the best of the holiday season.”

There has been a lot of fog these past few days.  Today, boxing day, the cloud cover along with the fog has dissipated but not the winter wonderland.  The hoar frost and rime ice combination has still made most beauteous scenes.  As the sun shines, the wonderful effect may dissipate, so come out and enjoy while it lasts!

Hoar Frost and Rime Ice covering the trees at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon , SK , in the bright morning sunlight

Hoar Frost and Rime Ice covering the trees at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon , SK , in the bright morning sunlight

Hoar Frost and Rime Ice covering the trees at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon , SK , in the bright morning sunlight

Hoar Frost and Rime Ice covering the trees at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon , SK , in the bright morning sunlight

.

“Rime frost or rime ice forms in the fog as water droplets in the air freeze on surfaces. With heavy fog around…a, the conditions were perfect for ice to form with temperatures below the freezing mark and very light winds. As the winds slowly pick up, the fog will dissipate.

Hoar frost, on the other hand, forms with different circumstances. This type of frost will form when dew freezes to the colder surface, much the same as rime ice, but hoar frost will typically form in clear conditions.”source

For directions as to how to drive to “George Genereux” Urban Regional Park

For directions on how to drive to Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

For more information:

Blairmore Sector Plan Report; planning for the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area,  George Genereux Urban Regional Park and West Swale and areas around them inside of Saskatoon city limits

P4G Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth The P4G consists of the Cities of Saskatoon, Warman, and Martensville, the Town of Osler and the Rural Municipality of Corman Park; planning for areas around the afforestation area and West Swale outside of Saskatoon city limits

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′
Addresses:
Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A
Part SE 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A
S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A
NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063
Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot
Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com
Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map
Where is the George Genereux Urban Regional Park (Afforestation Area)? with map

Pinterest richardstbarbeb

Facebook Group Page: Users of the George Genereux Urban Regional Park

Facebook: StBarbeBaker

Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

Facebook: South West OLRA

Twitter: StBarbeBaker

Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail)

Support the afforestation areas with your donation or membership ($20.00/year).  Please donate by paypal using the e-mail friendsafforestation AT gmail.com, or by using e-transfers  Please and thank you!  Your donation and membership is greatly appreciated.  Members e-mail your contact information to be kept up to date!

Paypal

Payment Options
Membership : $20.00 CAD – yearly		Membership with donation : $50.00 CAD	Membership with donation : $100.00 CAD

1./ Learn.

2./ Experience

3./ Do Something: ^***

 

“I believed that God has lent us the Earth. It belongs as much to those who come after us as to us, and it ill behooves us by anything we do or neglect, to deprive them of benefits which are in our power to bequeath.” Richard St. Barbe Baker

Rime Ice landscapes

“Rime ice forms when super-cooled water liquid droplets freeze onto surfaces. Meteorologists distinguish between three basic types of ice forming on vertical and horizontal surfaces by deposition of super-cooled water droplets. Of course there are also intermediate formations, whereas, hoar frost (refers to white ice crystals deposited on the ground or loosely attached to exposed objects, such as wires or leaves. They form on cold, clear nights when conditions are such that heat radiates out to the open air faster than it can be replaced from nearby sources, such as wind or warm objects. Under suitable circumstances, objects cool to below the frost point of the surrounding air, well below the freezing point of water. Such freezing may be promoted by effects such as flood frost or frost pocket. These occur when ground-level radiation losses cool air until it flows downhill and accumulates in pockets of very cold air in valleys and hollows. Hoar frost may freeze in such low-lying cold air even when the air temperature a few feet above ground is well above freezing.” according to Wikipedia

Weather Online UK states that, “Rime is denser and harder than hoar frost, but lighter, softer, and less transparent than glaze.”  This may be the reason why the last week’s winter wonderland did not behave like hoar frost.  If the tree branches were tapped, the “hoar frost” did not fall to the ground, the “rime” held on for six days.  On average, hoar frost will appear in the mornings, and usually disappear by noon when the wind picks up or the sun warms up the temperature of the air.

” Rime ice, formed from supercooled fog (water droplets that remain below freezing until they have a surface on which to freeze), is an accumulation of granular ice tufts on the windward side of exposed objects. These ice needles, about 2 inches (5 centimeters) long, point into the direction from which the wind was blowing during the fog…Generally the ‘feathers’ and ‘tails’ point into the wind, but under calm conditions the ‘needles’ might grow into every direction. This is why they can be mistaken as hoar frost. However, unlike hoar frost rime is formed by freezing fog or cloud droplets. ,” according to OpenSky which is the home for NCAR/UCAR research.  It is true that at the afforestation areas this past week, the trees were showing rime ice formed on the south east sides, which tells the tail that the wind was blowing from the south east during the last few foggy days!!!

The trees situated within the cover of the forest were not as heavily coated as those trees on the southeast perimeter.

Well, whatever the phenomenon, the last week was indeed spectacular with the rime ice on the trees!

Hoar Frost and Rime Ice What is the difference?
Here’s how a gorgeous display of rime ice coated Shenandoah National Park

 

For more information:

Blairmore Sector Plan Report; planning for the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area,  George Genereux Urban Regional Park and West Swale and areas around them inside of Saskatoon city limits

P4G Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth The P4G consists of the Cities of Saskatoon, Warman, and Martensville, the Town of Osler and the Rural Municipality of Corman Park; planning for areas around the afforestation area and West Swale outside of Saskatoon city limits

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′
Addresses:
Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A
Part SE 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A
S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A
NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063
Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot
Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com
Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map
Where is the George Genereux Urban Regional Park (Afforestation Area)? with map

Pinterest richardstbarbeb

Facebook Group Page: Users of the George Genereux Urban Regional Park

Facebook: StBarbeBaker

Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

Facebook: South West OLRA

Twitter: StBarbeBaker

Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail)

Support the afforestation areas with your donation or membership ($20.00/year).  Please donate by paypal using the e-mail friendsafforestation AT gmail.com, or by using e-transfers  Please and thank you!  Your donation and membership is greatly appreciated.  Members e-mail your contact information to be kept up to date!

Paypal

Payment Options

Membership : $20.00 CAD – yearly Membership with donation : $50.00 CAD Membership with donation : $100.00 CAD

1./ Learn.

2./ Experience

3./ Do Something: ^***

The Province of Saskatchewan Motto:

Multis e gentibus vires (From Many Peoples Strength)

Has any one of us ever really seen a Tree? When we become aware of trees we may each glimpse of them to moments of spiritual vision and, identifying ourselves with the trees, become conscious of the rising of the sap; the upward thrust of life, leaf burgeoning, their consciousness of the changing seasons; we may share their passionately boisterous exuberance of life in the height of the storm, and their tranquility when at rest; with them we will enjoy the glad murmur of the ripening seed clusters when after weeks of drought the steady warm rain brings relief to thirst; and we will know that these creatures, our elder brethern, are intimately related to us in their love and hunger for life. We may even catch their enthusiasm and aspire heavenwards while still rooted in our Mother Earth and in communion with our fellow man and, tree-wise, strive to make the Earth more fruitful again.~Richard St. Barbe Baker