Ice

Sometimes ice can be harmful and sometimes it can be good fun.

For aeroplanes, it is often a problem and so they need special de-icing equipment. Planes fly high up in the atmosphere where temperatures are always below freezing. Here the wings can easily become covered with rime frost, which could become a safety and performance issue if it was not dealt with.

For winter sports fans, ice can be enjoyable – although it can cause safety problems here too. Ice is simply frozen water. As water becomes less dense (lighter) when it freezes, ice actually floats on water. So when it is really cold, ponds and lakes become covered with a layer of ice which we can skate on. However, this can often be only a very thin layer, so you should never walk on water that is covered with ice unless you know it is strong enough to support you.

Icebergs

The fact that ice floats explains why we can see icebergs. They may look big above the surface, but in fact most of their bulk lies below the water – a bit like a cork if you float it in the bath!

Ice market

Although we can sometimes skate on ice nowadays, a couple of hundred years ago people in London used to do a lot more than that! In the early 1800s, the weather in England was much colder than it is today. Winters were very cold and frosts so severe that even the River Thames in London froze solid. When this happened, people held "frost fairs" on the ice and even lit fires. The weather gradually warmed up in the nineteenth century though, and the last fair was held on the ice in 1814.

We have looked at many of the different forms of precipitation.  It is now time to move on to a new section, where you will learn all about the wind.  To do this, click on the sunshine icon below.  Otherwise it is possible to have a look at some of the Activities associated with precipitation (for example making rain) or return to the Weather Features homepage, from where you can select another weather topic.