While the fog that descended on the region earlier this month made driving difficult with reduced visibility and by creating some slick surfaces on January 9 and 10, it also dressed the trees and other outdoor items in a frosty rime.

According to the National Weather Service, freezing fog is a unique weather phenomenon. Although not that different from regular fog, freezing fog forms when below freezing air temperatures and a moisture source condense into a fog cloud full of tiny supercooled water droplets. This moisture in the air remains in liquid form down to about 14 degrees Fahrenheit, even though the freezing point of water is considerably higher than that. For this reason, these supercooled water droplets will often freeze instantly upon contact with any exposed surfaces that are at or below freezing. Some surfaces on which these droplets may freeze include foliage, fences, railings, and vehicles.

Freezing fog can also cause black ice to form on roadways and sidewalks. Because black ice is very thin and difficult to see, it is particularly dangerous and requires caution for travelers and pedestrians alike. Freezing fog can also cause power outages as the frost coats power lines. The power did flicker several times on January 9-10, creating havoc for people working on a computer or operating any other electric-powered devices.

Despite its potential for danger, the dense freezing fog we saw earlier this month caused rime ice to form, transforming the landscape into a winter wonderland of weather art. When viewed up close, rime ice often looks like fragile ice needles or feathers.

Essentially, "these crystals form when vapor molecules come in contact with subfreezing surfaces because the molecules go directly from a gas to a solid, in a process called deposition. This coating of tiny ice crystals occurs as a result of radiational cooling, and the crystals are white because of trapped air," explains the National Weather Service website. "The ideal conditions for frost formation are a cold air mass (temperatures in the mid-30s or colder), clear skies, moisture, and a light wind."

Similar weather art was observed in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin earlier in January.

"Rime ice is not that unusual in winter," said John Gagan, a weather service meteorologist. "What is unusual is we've had almost perfect conditions for rime ice for several days straight. That has caused the frosty coating to build up, especially on trees, creating a gorgeous winter landscape across the region."

Officially, the weather service defines rime ice as "an opaque coating of tiny, white, granular ice particles caused by the rapid

freezing of supercooled water droplets on impact with an object."

Freezing fog also provides the conditions required for light pillars (aka ice pillars) to form. These are colorful beams of light emanating in vertical pillars above street lights as they reflect off the ice crystals in the air.

Several Blaine County residents reported taking walks to view or to photograph the transformed landscape and its frosty formations.

Photographs of pine trees looking like they were flocked for the holidays, as well as other icy art showed up on Facebook and in phone photo galleries.

Inspired by the beauty of the frost and fog, Mari Anne Skoyen decided to do an impromptu photo shoot of her nieces, Bailey and Natasha Skoyen.

"I kept looking at the fog and frost and really wanted to take pictures, knowing the conditions had created a gorgeous backdrop. Since my girls are grown and gone from home, I messaged Bailey and Tasha and asked if they wanted to do a photo shoot!"

Many of us have heard the folklore that dense fog is a predictor of future precipitation. For centuries, farmers and sailors-people whose livelihoods depend on the weather-have relied on such lore to forecast the weather. They quickly connected changes in nature with rhythms or patterns regarding the climate. Although climatologists will say there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that it will rain 90-days after a fog, the Old Farmer's Almanac, a website that maintains a Weather Lore Calendar, will attest that "fog in January brings a wet spring." We'll just have to wait and see what April brings in the way of moisture.