What caused Washington mountain to look like frosting? Mount Rainier officials explain

A Washington mountain was transformed to look like a cartoon or a bowl of whipped cream, photo shows.

People on social media were gushing over a video the U.S. Department of the Interior posted Saturday of Mount Rainier.

The photo showed fluffy, frosting-like snow formations covering the area of the national park. Many people said it reminded them of a painting or something out of a fairytale.

“A rain-on-snow event created some interesting shapes and textures in the backcountry of Mount Rainier National Park in Washington,” the Department of the Interior said in the post. “Is anyone else suddenly craving dessert?”

Some wondered how rain could’ve caused something so strange and questioned how it could be real.

“Rain and snow don’t do that in MY backyard,” one commenter said.

Most people, however, were impressed that rain could cause the landscape to transform into something “magical.”

“The texture of this snow is straight out of a fantasy painting or an illustration from a children’s book,” another commenter said. “Simply magical!”

Mount Rainier is an iconic Washington landscape, according to the National Park Service. It is more than 14,400 feet above sea level and it is “the most glaciated peak” in the continental U.S.

Wet and cold weather can happen at any time on Mount Rainier, and the weather can change quickly, the National Park Service said.

Monday’s forecast for Mount Rainier calls for heavy snow of between 22 and 28 inches with a low overnight temperature of 6 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 1:54 PM with the headline "What caused Washington mountain to look like frosting? Mount Rainier officials explain."