Frost causing power outages??

I’ve heard that hoar frost on power lines can cause power outages, but never paid much attention to whether or not it’s true. Since we moved to Mary Lake, though, we get split-second outages at least once a day, so this morning it was time to check out what could be an Urban Legend (Rural Legend?).

The receptionist at Yukon Electrical is obviously used to getting such calls, and yes, it is true. Hoar frost can knock out your power briefly, and there’s nothing you can do about it (unless you have an “in” with Mother Nature and can get rid of this high-humidity weather). I never had this problem at Carcross because all the power lines were shielded by trees so didn’t often build up the frost.

While I have my computer protected by a very good UPS, most of the electronics in the house are being nailed badly by these surges, and there’s not a whole lot that can be done about it.

For those of you Outside, the photo below shows what this looks like – the frost on the line coming into our house is almost 2 inches thick.