“Science experiments” with boiling water on a cold day

It seems that we get extraordinarily cold mornings on New Years Day. It was -17°F for a low temperature in Bellemont, Arizona today. Two years ago, on New Years Day 2011, it was -30°F. Both times we had fun tossing boiling water into the air and watching it freeze before it hits the ground.

Yeah, sure, folks up north do this all the time in the winter. But, remember, this is Arizona!

Boiling water tossed in the air and freezing before hitting the ground.
Boiling water tossed in the air and freezing before hitting the ground.

For a brief explanation on the physics of this process see the two links below.

Physics and Chemistry of Fresh Water

Which freezes faster, hot water or cold water?

And here’s a video from two years ago.