The extreme cold arrived in Patagonia the night before the start of winter. From Neuquén to the south of the country, the freezing temperatures provided images of snowy routes and complications in the connectivity of the provinces. The National Meteorological Service (SMN) reported an unusual phenomenon in which a mysterious fog is capable of freezing the objects it touches, with “ice needles.”
The incident was recorded and reported by the meteorological station of Río Gallegos during the night of June 20, when the lowest temperature reached -15 °C and the wind chill was -20 °C. Furthermore, the humidity in the environment reached 100%.
«Freezing fog» It is called the phenomenon that gives images that look like they come from a movie. It happens when “the temperatures are negative and the humidity is so high that there is fog,” explained the national body in charge of guarding the climate throughout the country.
«All surfaces and objects are covered with thin needles of ice», They detailed in a publication that accompanies several images showing measurement objects from the weather station covered in ice.
As detailed, this fog is in a liquid state at a temperature below zero. When they come into contact with any solid surface, such as soil or plant leaves, they freeze and slowly accumulate in the form of shiny, pointed crystals separated from each other.
“These delicate needles, known as cencellada, can be easily shaken and removed from objects. Although it resembles snow, cecellada is actually more related to frost,” they described.
Regarding what it can cause in people, they clarified that “The phenomenon generates a beautiful sight, but it is still dangerous.” They explained that ice can make roads and sidewalks slippery or cause power outages due to damaged wiring.
«Our colleagues at the Río Gallegos meteorological station captured this phenomenon on the night of June 20, 2024»says the publication that did not cease to surprise the eye.
