DAVENPORT, Iowa — We're no stranger to frosty mornings here in the Quad Cities. We've all had those mornings that make you five minutes late for work while you wait for your windshield to defrost. What's the process behind this fall/winter/spring annoyance? That's exactly what Josh L. from Davenport, Iowa, wanted to find out. Let's dig in!
So, why does frost form in the first place? It all has to do with temperature. During the day, our windshield heats up a lot faster than the air surrounding it. Similarly, overnight while your vehicle is parked outside, the windshield then cools a lot quicker than the surrounding air mass. Water vapor, which is constantly in our air mass, then begins to cool and condense onto that cooler windshield surface. Get temperatures to drop below freezing, and you guessed it, frost begins to form on the windshield as that condensed water begins to freeze.
So, what can be done to prevent this? A few things.
- Park in a garage or under an awning. Even a simple awning can often prevent frost from forming on objects beneath it. This is the most obvious choice, but what about if you don't have either of these available? Wait, there's more!
- Purchase a frost cover, which you can find at most hardware and big-box stores.
Frost does have a hard time forming if winds remain breezy overnight. The perfect condition for frost includes light winds and, of course, colder temperatures.
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