Snow (in just the right amounts, at just the right time) is loved by all. But what exactly is the fluffy cold stuff, and how is made? Today's winter tour examines the subject of snow through the eyes of scientists, weathermen, and just plain kids. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! [Editor's Note: An updated version of this topic can be found here: Snow]
"This site is all about snow crystals and snowflakes. Although a common meteorological phenomenon, snow crystal growth is a fascinating and poorly understood process in which remarkably complex and beautifully symmetric structures appear, quite literally, out of thin air." Best place to start on this Caltech site is the Snow Crystal Primer, where you'll learn the answer to questions such as "Is it really true that no two snow crystals are alike?"
"Is it ever too cold to snow? How big can snowflakes get? Why is snow white?" Everything you ever wanted to know about snow (but didn't know who to ask) is answered here by the National Snow and Ice Data Center, affiliated with the University of Colorado. This educational site also includes a Snow Glossary (from "ablation" to "vapor pressure") and a Snow Fact Sheet.
When the weatherman issues a heavy snow warning, he's telling us that he expects at least six inches of snow on the ground in the next twelve hours but without any significant wind. A blizzard warning, on the other hand, would be falling snow accompanied by gusts of winds blasting at thirty-five miles an hour. At this USA Today page, you'll learn all the official winter weather terminology, as defined by the National Weather Service.
The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!
How do snowflakes form?Snowflakes | Snowtastic Snow |
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