Something i implied above but didn t say explicitly is that when frost forms on the roof the roof is below freezing.
Frost on roof above freezing.
In other words the sequence might be as follows.
So ice can form even if the temperature of the surrounding air is above freezing.
The radiative cooling effect is strong enough to lower the temperature of surfaces exposed to the sky by several degrees below the ambient air temperature.
If the dew point is below freezing the water vapor condenses as ice freezing as frost.
1 initially the air and the car are at temperature 37 f and the dew point is 35.
Does your garage have a frosted roof and the rest of your home does not or vice versa.
2 the car roof cools radiatively.
Mon 06 oct 2008 19 38 20 gmt frost at 35 degrees.
As it cools below 35 degrees water condenses on it.
On a long cold spell these objects will cool down to below 0 celsius.
In other words the sequence might be as follows.
Look at the entirety of your roof is the frost melting unevenly and not due to the sun s heat.
Low temperatures overnight were generally in the.
The phenomenon of water freezing on objects like the ground parked cars motorbikes etc is due to thermal inertia.
The kentucky mesonet recently added some extra temperature sensors at varying heights that show just why this could occur.
A lack of frost can indicate that heat is leaking out through your attic space onto the roof and melting the frost.
Something i implied above but didn t say explicitly is that when frost forms on the roof the roof is below freezing.
We had a chilly start to the day with frost in many countryside locations.
1 initially the air and the car are at temperature 37 f and the dew point is 35.
That is how we get a frost without a freeze.
Ice at least at atmospheric pressure cannot form above the melting point of water 0 celsius.
So how did ice form on the roof the frost on the car effect is not just due to temperature inversions.
Have you ever wondered why frost can form on nights when the temperatures only fall to 36 or 37 degrees.
Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface which forms from water vapor in an above freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing and resulting in a phase change from water vapor a gas to ice a solid as the water vapor reaches the freezing point in temperate climates it most commonly appears on surfaces near the ground as fragile.