New Mexico Snow Ghosts and Mesalands Rhime
Following the snowstorm of January 12-14, the phenomenon of "snow ghosts" occurred at Ski Santa Fe. This phenomenon, which results from the combination of freezing fog and snow accumulating on trees, is common in the Montana and Canadian Rockies, where low cloud bases often mean fog in the mountains before and during snowstorms. However, in the drier southwest, cloud bases tend to be higher, and it occurs less commonly. In snowstorms occuring in New Mexico in January, 2007, though, the cloud bases were quite low, socking in locations such as Ski Santa Fe for extended periods of time. When the snowstorm of January 12-14 ended the morning of January 14 (with a storm total of 19 inches at Ski Santa Fe) and the sun came out, the appearance of the "snow ghosts" was quite striking, as shown in the pictures below (Click any thumbnail to see a full-size image):
To the east and at lower elevations in the Mesalands around Tucumcari in eastern Nex Mexico, freezing fog and lighter snow associated with the same storm system combined to produce some similar phenomena. While driving through that area on January 15, I observed the trees, grasses, and sagebrush coated with rhime ice, the frosty coating that occurs when freezing fog comes in contact with vegitation. As shown in the pictures below, it gave the Mesalands quite an unusual appearance (again, click on the thumbnails for full-size pictures):
The next two pictures juxtapose rhime-coated vegitation in the foreground with Tucumcari Mountain in the background:
The coating on trees in Tucumcari neighborhoods was quite impressive, too. You could even say that in the second picture below, the people who lived there had something you could call a snow ghost right in their own front yard!
All of these photos are available for purchase. Prices are as follows:
5x7 photo, matted with 8x10 mat: $20
8x10 photo, matted with 11x14 mat: $30
5x7 photo, framed and matted in black 8x10 gallery-style frame: $60
8x10 photo, framed and matted in black 11x14 gallery-style frame: $100
To order any photo, please email John Farley. In addition to the above formats, some photos are available in larger formats, such as 16x20. To inquire about availability, please follow the above email link.
