"
I recall a similar event in the UK when large icicles were dropping like
spears from buildings and powerlines. Anyone know how frequently this
event
occurs in the UK ?

An hour or two of freezing drizzle isn't uncommon, but I think that
"serious" cases are fairly rare, maybe a couple of times a decade
somewhere in the UK. Possibly the most severe on record in this country
was in January, 1940. See:

http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~ta...in_january.htm
--
John Hall "He crams with cans of poisoned meat
The subjects of the King,
And when they die by thousands G.K.Chesterton:
Why, he laughs like anything." from "Song Against Grocers"

Thanks John,

That's an excellent link. I'll explore that whole site when I have more
time.

Rich

http://www.richdavies.com/weather.htm