Definition

Noun: A severe weather event characterized by freezing rain that falls and accumulates as a layer of ice on surfaces, coating everything in a glaze. This can cause significant damage to trees, power lines, and infrastructure.

Usage

An "ice storm" is a specific type of winter storm. It is used to describe the event itself and its effects. - The primary hazard is the accumulation of ice, not heavy snow or wind alone. - It often leads to widespread power outages and dangerous travel conditions.

Examples

• The ice storm last January left the entire city without electricity for three days.
• Meteorologists are warning of a possible ice storm this weekend, so residents should prepare.
• After the ice storm, the trees were so heavily coated with ice that many branches broke.

Advanced Usage

• "to glaze over": While not a phrasal verb of "ice storm," this verb phrase describes the effect of an ice storm, meaning to become covered with a smooth, shiny layer of ice.
  • The roads glazed over during the night, making the morning commute treacherous.

Variants and Related Words

• Freezing rain (n): The specific type of precipitation that causes an ice storm. It is rain that freezes upon contact with cold surfaces.
• Glaze ice (n): The clear, smooth coating of ice deposited by freezing rain.

Synonyms

• Silver thaw: A regional term, primarily used in the Pacific Northwest and Canada, for an ice storm.
• Freezing rain storm: A more descriptive synonym.

Related Phrases

• "to be iced in": To be immobilized or confined due to ice accumulation from a storm.
  • We were iced in for two days after the storm passed.

Noun

1. a storm with freezing rain that leaves everything glazed with ice