What does the CCTV weather forecast often mean by freezing rain? Is it cold?

In early winter or late winter and early spring, people can see that when the rain in the air falls on very cold wires, objects and the ground near the ground, it immediately condenses into ice, so the wires become thick ice strips and a thin layer of ice accumulates on the ground. This is freezing rain. Meteorologically, this frozen object is called Song Yu. In southern China, freezing rain is called "ice", "sky" or "cowhide".

How is the freezing rain formed? Freezing rain often occurs when strong cold air or cold wave comes, because of the confrontation between cold and warm air. When the cold front invaded, the air temperature under the front dropped below 0℃, while the temperature above the front was above 0℃ and humid. When the raindrops formed in the clouds above the front fall into the gas layer with the temperature below 0℃, they can become supercooled raindrops. Once supercooled raindrops fall to the ground or ground objects with a temperature below 0℃, they immediately freeze into ice, forming a dense, smooth and sometimes transparent glassy ice shell. After freezing rain falls on trees and wires with surface temperature below freezing point, crystal clear ice layer is formed around them immediately. At this time, raindrops continue to fall on the surface of frozen objects, slowly drooping, forming icicles, which are called "ice hanging" in some places. Various forms of ice hanging are dazzling. Lushan, Huangshan and other famous mountains are often dressed up by freezing rain in winter. The winter rainy season along the Songhua River in Jilin Province is one of the wonders of China, attracting thousands of Chinese and foreign tourists every year.

The scenery of freezing rain is worth seeing, but after all, it is disastrous weather, and the harm caused cannot be ignored. After the wire freezes, it will shrink when it is cold, and it will break under the influence of the weight of freezing rain. Sometimes, rows of telephone poles are knocked down, resulting in interruption of telecommunications and transmission. Highway traffic is blocked by ground icing, and traffic accidents increase accordingly. If the ground freezes, it will freeze the green winter wheat or the crops planted in early spring. In addition, freezing rain will also destroy young forests and frostbitten fruit trees in a large area.