Snow Facts
Snow Facts
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| Interesting Snow Facts: |
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| Snow can come in other forms than just as snowflakes. Similar to hail, but softer and lumpy, some snow is in the form of ice crystals, which is called graupel. |
| A common myth exists that no two snowflakes are the same. This has never been scientifically proven to be true. In 1988 two identical snowflakes were found in Wisconsin by a scientist. |
| Snowflakes are white because of the many tiny surfaces of a snowflake that bounce light. Some snow appears blue because it is deep and layered and absorbs more red light than blue, or even pink because of algae that tints the snow in some alpine regions. |
| The most snow to fall in a single calendar day in the United States occurred in 1913 in Georgetown, Colorado. They received 63 inches that day. Colorado also had the most snow fall in a 24 hour period in 1921, with 75.8 inches. |
| A big snowstorm is not necessarily a blizzard. In order to be classified as a blizzard the snow must reduce visibility for at least three hours to less than a quarter mile. It also must have winds that are at least 35 miles an hour. |
| An igloo is made up of compressed snow. The air trapped in compressed and compacted snow cannot transfer heat so body heat is able to warm the interior of the igloo to as much as 100 degrees warmer than the outside air, without melting the structure. This is why bears choose to hibernate in deep holes in the snow. |
| The biggest snowball fight on record took place on January 12, 2013 in Seattle, Washington. 5,834 snowball fighters showed up to participate. |
| It is possible to thunder and lightning while snowing. This is referred to as thundersnow. |
| In the Canadian Rockies a type of algae called watermelon algae grows on the snow, turning the snow a reddish hue. |
| When coal was used for heat and hydro the dust often turned snow in the surrounding region to appear grey. |
| In 2008 the largest snowman in the United States was built in Maine. It stood at 122 feet. |
| In 2008 in China the largest snow sculpture ever built was created by 600 sculptors from 40 countries around the world. It was 115 feet tall and 656 feet long. |
| Every snowstorm drops billions of snowflakes. It is estimated that there are approximately 105 snowstorms in the United States each year. |
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