With the Farmer's Almanac calling for below-average temperatures and above-average amounts of snow this winter, we are sure to get a full dose of winter weather this season. Considering that we will get a lot of snow this season, you might as well brush up on your knowledge about snow in general. Here are some facts you may not know:
1. Snow is translucent, not white.
The light particles that are reflected off the snow are what gives it the white color.
2. The largest snowflake might have been 15 inches wide.
According to some sources, the largest snowflakes ever observed fell during a snowstorm in January 1887 at Montana’s Fort Keogh. While witnesses said the flakes were “larger than milk pans,” these claims have not been substantiated.
3. Each winter in the U.S., at least 1 septillion ice crystals fall from the sky.
Despite this, Key West, Florida, has never experienced snow.
4. The most snow to fall in a 24-hour period in the U.S. is 75.8 inches.
In 1921, over six feet of snow fell between April 14 at 2:30 p.m. and April 15 at 2:30 p.m. in Silver Lake, Colorado.
5. There are particular specifications to justify a snowstorm as a "blizzard."
A blizzard occurs when you can’t see for 1/4 mile. The winds are always 35 miles an hour or more. The storm must last at least three hours to be classed as a blizzard. If any of these conditions are not met, it is only a snowstorm.
6. Chionophobia is a fear of snow.
7. An average snowflake is made up of 180 billion molecules of water.
Contrary to popular belief, not every snowflake is different, either.
8. Igloos can be more than 100 degrees warmer inside than outside.
They’re warmed entirely by body heat. Since fresh, compacted snow is approximately 90 to 95 percent trapped air, it’s a great insulator.
9. Around 12 percent of the Earth’s land surface is covered in permanent snow and ice.
10. Rochester, New York, is the snowiest large city in the U.S., averaging 94 inches of snow a year.
11. North Dakota holds the record for the most snow angels made simultaneously in one place.
In 2007, 8,962 people in North Dakota plopped down in the snow to waggle their arms and legs to make snow angels.
12. Syracuse, New York, tried to make snow illegal.
America’s snowiest major city has an impressive arsenal of plows, but in 1992 it tried a new trick to control the white stuff. The city’s Common Council passed a decree that any more snow before Christmas Eve was illegal. As it turns out, Mother Nature is a scofflaw -- it snowed just two days later.
Now that you know these facts about snow, you will be all ready for the winter weather.
