What Is Supercooled Water?
Liquid water droplets colder than freezing that haven't turned to ice yet. They freeze instantly when they touch something. In technical terms: Liquid water existing below 0 °C due to lack of ice nuclei; common in clouds down to about -20 °C and can persist to about -38 °C before homogeneous freezing; responsible for rime, aircraft icing, freezing rain, and hail growth.
Also called: Supercooled Liquid Water, SLW
Supercooled Water In Plain English
Liquid water droplets colder than freezing that haven't turned to ice yet. They freeze instantly when they touch something.
The Technical Definition
Liquid water existing below 0 °C due to lack of ice nuclei; common in clouds down to about -20 °C and can persist to about -38 °C before homogeneous freezing; responsible for rime, aircraft icing, freezing rain, and hail growth.
Lessons That Use Supercooled Water
- How Rain And Snow Form Unit 5: Clouds And Precipitation
- How Lightning Works Unit 7: Thunderstorms And Lightning
- How Hail Grows Unit 9: Hail And Flooding
