"This is ice that formed around our pond. It’s scattered on the bank randomly. How does this happen? It looks like ribbon candy or pulled sugar," says Kerie Bray, who snapped a photo of the rare event seen along one of our local ponds here in Northwest Florida.
That ribbon candy or pulled sugar looking thing is called a "frost flower." Meteorologist Ryan Michaels tells us how they are created.
"They are formed when the ground is somewhat moist (may have been from New Year's Eve showers) and then freezing temperatures are ushered into an area. The unfrozen moisture is drawn up into the stems of the plants, then it freezes, expands, and splits the stem. As more moisture is drawn up through the plant stem it spills out ever so light and slowly that it can cause the thin 'ribbon' of ice to curl. Winds and a little help from gravity do the rest to make it look like it is forming into a flower petal!"
If you ever see what you think is a rare sight, feel free to snap a photo and email one of our meteorologists to ask them what it is! Chris.Smith@wjhg.com, Ryan.Michaels@wjhg.com, Jordan.Patrick@wjhg.com, and Tyler.Allender@wecptv.com. Then submit the photo through MyCapture by heading over to our home page WJHG.com, click on the Menu tab in the top right, then scroll down and click on Submit Photos and Videos.