A liquid below its freezing point will crystallize in
the presence of a seed crystal or nucleus around
which a crystal structure can form. However, lacking
any such nucleus, the liquid phase can be maintained
all the way down to the temperature at which crystal
homogeneous nucleation occurs. The homogeneous
nucleation can occur above the glass transition where
the system is an amorphous—that is,
non-crystalline—solid. This is a video of supercooled
water which is recrystalizing as it hits a new
surface.
From wikipedia:
A liquid below its freezing point will crystallize in
the presence of a seed crystal or nucleus around
which a crystal structure can form. However, lacking
any such nucleus, the liquid phase can be maintained
all the way down to the temperature at which crystal
homogeneous nucleation occurs. The homogeneous
nucleation can occur above the glass transition where
the system is an amorphous—that is,
non-crystalline—solid.
Water has a freezing point of 273.15 K (0 °C or 32
°F) but can be supercooled at standard pressure down
to its crystal homogeneous nucleation at almost 231 K
(−42.15 °C).1If cooled at a rate of the order of 1
million kelvins per second, the crystal nucleation
can be avoided and water becomes a glass. Its glass
transition temperature is much colder and harder to
determine, but studies estimate it at about 165 K
(−108.15 °C).2 Glassy water can be heated up to
approximately 150 K (−123.15 °C).3 In the range of
temperatures between 231 K (−42.15 °C) and 150 K
(−123.15 °C) experiments find only crystal ice.
Droplets of supercooled water often exist in
stratiform and cumulus clouds. They form into ice
when they are struck by the wings of passing
airplanes and abruptly crystallize. (This causes
problems with lift, so aircraft that are expected to
fly in such conditions are equipped with a deicing
system.) Freezing rain is also caused by supercooled
droplets.
An equivalent to supercooling for the process of
melting solids is much more difficult, and a solid
will almost always melt at the same temperature for a
given pressure. It is, however, possible to superheat
a liquid above its boiling point without it becoming
gaseous.