It took me 20 minutes to crack and scrape the ice off my car in the parking lot last night. Below-freezing temps and a thunderstorm last night added more glaze to everything--our window screens this morning looked like frosted glass. The kids' school closed (the roads are well-salted, but the buses were coated with ice).
Ice storms aren't frequent here, but they aren't unheard of. There are few things that are so simultaneously beautiful and destructive. The ice makes the trees and plants extraordinary to look at--but at the same time, it breaks branches, uproots trees, and can cause even the most cautious explorer to go head-over-heels if they risk a walk through the wondrous winter lanscape.
My colleague Mike Axelrod has posted some great photos on his blog.
Update, 4/5
Mike has posted more photos, in an entry entitled "Falling Tree Fells Local Gnome." We lost most of the crown of the big maple in our front yard, alas. But the ice has finally melted, and we didn't lose power. Small blessings.