How to create frost at home

Make frost at home with Storm Center 7 Meteorologist Kirstie Zontini — Make Frost at Home

​Frost is something to watch out for in spring because it can damage plants and flowers. When skies clear, the wind goes calm and ground temperatures drop to 32 or colder, frost can form. Soil moisture and water vapor in the air condenses and freezes forming frost. You can simulate this process at home with a few simple things!

Here's what you need

• A metal can (like canned beans or tomatoes) with the label removed
• Ice (crush the cubes if you can)
• Salt

Steps:

1. Add the ice cubes to your can

2. You'll notice the ice cubes immediately cool the can and the water vapor around us will begin to condense on it (this is like dew that forms on the grass)

3. We need the can to get cold enough to support frost formation so now add salt (make sure to cover the ice and shake it around)

4. Leave it for a few minutes and watch the can frost over!

What is happening? The salt forces the freezing point of the ice to drop which makes the ice melt. That salt solution then gets below 32 degrees and the can gets cold enough for the water vapor around us to freeze and form frost.

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