A look at Black Moon, Black Ice, Black Frost, Black Rain and other dark weather phenomena
It's Black over Bill's mother - When dark, black clouds appear and start to build on the horizon introducing the threat of heavy rain and a change in the weather. Northern England type phrase, can be Will rather than Bill, the inference is that the bad weather is yonder and may head our way.
Black frost – in dry air with low temperatures. Due to the lack of moisture in the air, the usual white ice crystals don’t form but the cold can still damage plants and crops.
Black Rain - 1.Ozzy Osbourne’s album from 2007
2. Dirty rain - from soil, dirt, pollution particles or coal dust turning the rain black
3. Nuclear fallout- The initial bomb last creates dirt, dust, ash and debris which mixes with radioactive fallout. This can remain in the atmosphere until it rains, and falls back down as black rain, coating everything with radioactive dirt.
Black Fog- thick, dark fog at Cape Cod off New England coast.
Day Darkness- A meteorological phenomenon when the average solar radiation on a horizontal surface falls low enough that the figures ( in Watts per metre squared) would be more typical of twilight illumination levels. The day turns spookily dark, like in a partial eclipse, or when Hurricane Ophelia drew up all that Saharan dust and wildfire smoke.
Hong Kong black rain warning –
Black clouds - Cumulus clouds start off as small white puffs and can grow through the day. As a cloud gets bigger and more dense, it gathers more water droplets and ice crystals. Less light can penetrate all the way through. By the evening, the sun can be so low in the sky that the sun’s rays don’t reach the low base of the clouds, so there is little to illuminate them. Once clouds are large enough to produce rain (or snow) they are absorbing lots of light, rather than scattering it back to your eye, so they look black.
Black Moon – relates to a new moon, when you don’t see any light on the moon’s surface. If a second new moon occurs in a calendar month this can be called a Black moon. Also, usually, each season has 3 months and 3 New Moons. When a season has 4 New Moons, the 3rd New Moon is called a Black Moon
Dark skies- Dark Sky places are areas or sites that have been officially recognised for their low levels of light pollution and good public access. Light pollution is a generic term referring to artificial light which shines where it is neither wanted nor needed. The dark areas on the map have less light pollution. In broad terms, there are three types of light pollution:
skyglow – the pink or orange glow we see for miles around towns and cities, spreading deep into the countryside, caused by a scattering of artificial light by airborne dust and water droplets.
glare – the uncomfortable brightness of a light source.
light intrusion – light spilling beyond the boundary of the property on which a light is located, sometimes shining through windows and curtains
Black sun – An eclipse. Unfortunately, another total eclipse won't be visible from mainland UK until 2090, although a very large partial eclipse, will pass over the UK in August 2026
Black Ice – a think layer of ice on roads. It is smooth and clear, so takes on the appearance of the dark road below. Its invisibility makes it dangerous to drivers. Weather warnings for Ice are often issued in winter, when road temperatures dip and there is moisture present.
If you hit a patch of black ice, don’t panic. Keep the steering wheel straight and maintain your speed – don’t hit the brakes. Use the gears to slow down if necessary, but avoid any sudden movements that could destabilise the car.
Black Wind - ironborn longship from Game of Thrones , commanded by Yara Greyjoy. Winter is coming.
Resist the mega deals of today (or this fortnight) and don't be that person caught on camera wrestling on the floor of Asda for a widescreen TV.
