Rock Salt: Be Prepared for Freezing Rain!

Last weekend, weather forecasters issued snow and ice warnings for much of the country as plumes of freezing air swept in from the Arctic regions. The warnings turned out to be very real as much of the country did indeed get a dusting of the white stuff, with temperatures plummeting to well below zero in many areas.

This weather, dubbed 'the first taste of winter for the UK', has certainly been unpleasant but according to the Met Office there is much worse in store. Forecasters are predicting that a 'rare weather phenomenon' will impact several areas of the UK on Saturday the 23rd of November.

The phenomenon is known as 'freezing rain', which starts out as ordinary snow or hail in high clouds. When the snow or hail passes through an air layer with a temperature above 0°C as it is falling, it reverts to its liquid state but the liquid is supercooled. If the ground that this supercooled droplet lands on is close to or just below 0°C, it momentarily spreads out and freezes almost instantly.

The result is that the affected surface is encased in a layer of nearly transparent ice. A spokesperson for the Met Office said that this 'glaze of ice on the ground effectively turns roads and pathways into an ice rink.'

Weather predictions in the longer term suggest that winter of 2024/25 is going to be one of the coldest on record. Hospitals are gearing up to attend to the thousands of people who each year sustain injuries when falling due to slipping on ice and snow covered paths, pavements, driveways and patios. Many more people are injured and even killed after losing control of their vehicles on icy roads. 

Rock salt, sometimes referred to as grit, is one of the best ways to reduce the chance of such incidents and has been used worldwide since its discovery back in 1938. When applied to snowy and icy surfaces, rock salt forms a brine solution. This has a much lower freezing point than ordinary water and thus causes the snow and ice to melt. Though used on surfaces that have already been covered with ice or snow, rock salt can also be used to prevent such buildups occurring when especially cold weather has been forecast. 

Greengates Builders Merchant has large stocks of rock salt ready and available to purchase at the most competitive price. Brown rock salt is ideal for municipal and industrial applications while white rock salt, which protects indoor floors from staining, is especially suitable for the commercial and domestic sectors. Both types can be supplied in medium or bulk size bags. 

For more information, please visit the product pages on our website or get in touch with a member of our technical team.