If you have a water feature like a bird bath, you might notice an ice spike poking out. I've seen this happen most often during prolonged stretches of cold weather.
You may even notice it occasionally if you have an ice cube tray in your freezer.
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The Garrett's in Sanford sent us a picture via ReportIt.
Almost every morning the last two weeks has been below freezing. And it hasn't just been 32° or 31°. We're talking hard freezes - teens and 20s.
How do ice spikes form?
There was an easy-to-understand explanation that I found from Cal Tech that shows the dynamics at play.
Initially, water freezes on the top, edges and bottom of the ice cube tray or bird bath.
That leaves a small hole somewhere in the middle where the water is unfrozen. As ice expands at the bottom of the container, it expands and pushes the water up.
That narrow area freezes and appears above the surface as an ice spike.
If you have pictures of this, send them our way to ReportIt, just like the Garrett's did!
Kathy Gimlick sent me this picture of an ice spike in her bird bath, even though it was covered!
We also got this photo from Donna Marie Gingerella of Raleigh who caught a mini ice spike in her bird bath.
