Tienen - east of Brussels - reported about 1 cm snow on Monday.

Tienen is well-known for its large sugar factory. The effect of the extra
water vapour released into the atmosphere by the factory and the prevailing
freezing fog led to the snowfall. A similar phenomenon occurred in places
in Germany.

Colin Youngs
Brussels

"Colin Youngs" wrote in message
...
Tienen - east of Brussels - reported about 1 cm snow on Monday.

Tienen is well-known for its large sugar factory. The effect of the
extra
water vapour released into the atmosphere by the factory and the
prevailing
freezing fog led to the snowfall. A similar phenomenon occurred in
places
in Germany.

Colin Youngs
Brussels


This effect was not noted in York today, though the smell from the factory
often is.
Perhaps John Whitby may know if it has occurred previously, though I have
heard of similar events in Burton on Trent.

--
David Mitchell, 70m amsl, Langtoft, East Riding of Yorkshire.

Quoting from message
posted on 1 Feb 2006 by David Mitchell
I would like to add:


"Colin Youngs" wrote in message
...

Tienen is well-known for its large sugar factory. The effect of the
extra water vapour released into the atmosphere by the factory and the
prevailing freezing fog led to the snowfall. A similar phenomenon
occurred in places in Germany.

This effect was not noted in York today, though the smell from the
factory often is.

When i was a student in York (many years ago) the smell was frequently
Chocolate (Rowntrees/Terrys)

Perhaps John Whitby may know if it has occurred previously, though I
have heard of similar events in Burton on Trent.

When I was working at the hospital in Holywell, then Flintshire, the
Ambulance drivers said that, as well as taking note of the local
weather forecasts, they would look at the visual output from the
arious factory/processing plant chimneys.

--
..ElaineJ. Briallen Gifts/Cards catalogue at http://www.briallen.co.uk
..Virtual. Corn Dollies, Cards, Coasters, Mousemats, Kids' Tshirts
StrongArm Jones' Pages at http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/ejones
..RISC PC. Corwen, North Wales; Steam Traction;CMMGB&Yukon Volunteers.

This phenomenon was very prevalent in this area of Berkshire in the 1970s
and 80s. I wrote a note on it in the Journal of Meteorology Apr 1976, p232.
It was sometimes very evident when travelling through Bracknell by train, as
the lying 'snow' from the ice crystal deposit was 0.5 to 1 cm thick in
specific areas, with none at all in other locations close by. On one
occasion I collected a sample of the crystal deposit and sent it for
analysis to try to determine the likely nucleation agent, but the analysis
found only standard pollutants. I also requested a list of chemicals being
discharged from industrial premises in Bracknell from the local council, but
was refused this information.
On another occasion the fog was thin enough to show the sun shining fairly
brightly, and a strong 22 deg halo was present as the crystals were falling.
Another occasion at night showed light pillars above all street lamps and
car headlights in fog with an air temp just below zero, and ice crystal
precipitation occurring.

--
Bernard Burton
Wokingham, Berkshire, UK.

Satellite images at:
www.btinternet.com/~wokingham.weather/wwp.html
"Colin Youngs" wrote in message
...
Tienen - east of Brussels - reported about 1 cm snow on Monday.

Tienen is well-known for its large sugar factory. The effect of the
extra
water vapour released into the atmosphere by the factory and the
prevailing
freezing fog led to the snowfall. A similar phenomenon occurred in
places
in Germany.

Colin Youngs
Brussels

Colin Youngs wrote:
Tienen - east of Brussels - reported about 1 cm snow on Monday.

Tienen is well-known for its large sugar factory. The effect of the extra
water vapour released into the atmosphere by the factory and the prevailing
freezing fog led to the snowfall. A similar phenomenon occurred in places
in Germany.

Colin Youngs
Brussels



Seen this several times in or near Didcot, Oxon. From the cooling towers
of the power station. In fact I've seen it this winter during the cold
spell at the end of November.

Usually it is a very fine deposit of ice crystals. The most I've seen is
around 0.5cm in a very clear "stripe" heading SE from the power station
about 15 years ago.

The more annoying weather phenomenon around Didcot is the Didcot gloom
when you are situated right underneath the plume on a summer's day and
register no sun, whereas a few hundred yards in either direction it is a
glorious.

Bernard Burton wrote:

This phenomenon was very prevalent in this area of Berkshire in the 1970s
and 80s. I wrote a note on it in the Journal of Meteorology Apr 1976,
p232. It was sometimes very evident when travelling through Bracknell by
train, as the lying 'snow' from the ice crystal deposit was 0.5 to 1 cm
thick in specific areas, with none at all in other locations close by. On
one occasion I collected a sample of the crystal deposit and sent it for
analysis to try to determine the likely nucleation agent, but the analysis
found only standard pollutants. I also requested a list of chemicals being
discharged from industrial premises in Bracknell from the local council,
but was refused this information.
On another occasion the fog was thin enough to show the sun shining fairly
brightly, and a strong 22 deg halo was present as the crystals were
falling. Another occasion at night showed light pillars above all street
lamps and car headlights in fog with an air temp just below zero, and ice
crystal precipitation occurring.


I remember one of these ice fogs in Bracknell around 1980. Temperature was
about -6C all day with sun visible at times through the fog, showing an ice
pillar. There was a lot of rime on the trees and there was enough air
movement to dislodge this as a fine powder - might have acted as nuclei?

From when I was a young child in Northamptonshire, I had noticed that, with
temperatures a little below freezing, the fog would switch from water
droplets to ice particles and back again.

Bracknell used to get some really dense fogs when I was there from 1965-73
which I thought a bit surprising for a smokeless zone. A couple of
occasions I recall the visibility dropping to less than five metres. Since
my return in '78, I don't recall seeing any dense fogs.

--
Graham Davis
Bracknell