WX-MAN's Musings

Very Good Definition of Icicles from Wikipedia:

An icicle is a spike of ice formed when water dripping or falling from another object freezes. Typically, icicles will form when ice or snow is melted by either sunlight or some other heat source (such as heat leaking from the interior of a heated building), and the resulting melted water runs off into an area where the ambient temperature is below the freezing point of water (zero degrees Celsius), causing the water to refreeze. Over time continued water runoff will cause the icicle to grow.

Icicles can pose both safety and structural dangers. Ice hanging from buildings may break away and fall and strike passersby below or cause damage to other objects below. In addition, ice is relatively heavy and the tendency of icicles to form on overhangs, eaves, and gutters may cause more stress on those structures than they were designed to bear, causing them to break or tear away from the building. Similarly, icicle buildup on trees may cause branches to break.

There was also a story in today’s ETN “Sparkly spikes red flag for heat loss, damage” about all the icicles hanging off businesses & homes around Erie…

The story does a good job about pointing out the dangers of icicles with a story of a man who’s foot was punctured by a falling icicles.

They also talk about how icicles can cause damage to your home as they form, and it discusses  how poor heating of a home or business can cause the icicles, but there is a weather reason.

If you didn’t already know (at least this is what I have been told) the pitch or steepness of the roof becomes greater the farther north one goes. Here in Erie, where we see lots of snow, we also have pretty steep roofs. Due to the steep pitch of the roof the very tip sees les snow so this allows for exposed shingles and with lake-effect snows we get periods of snow and also see periods of sunshine. Solar heating along with poor insulation and heating loss will add to the length and size of the icicles. That is why they are so big this year. I have recieved a lot of comments about the icicles this year and their size and how many don’t recall seeing icicles this large. I have to agree. I don’t remember them that big but then again this is the first time I have been in Erie when there was this much snow this late and temperatures this cold for this long…

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