Some Fun Snow Facts
from BE
We love snow! Pushing it, picking it up, shoveling it and getting it out of our customer’s way. Enjoy these fun snow facts as winter is upon us!
There must be pollen or dust in the air to form snow
The first step in the formation of a snowflake is an extremely cold water droplet freezing onto a pollen or dust particle in the sky. This creates an ice crystal.
All snowflakes have 6 sides
Water molecules are shaped like a V, so when they align and freeze together, a hexagon shape develops.
When more water molecules are added to a snowflake, they are evenly added to the hexagon, so the shape does not change. Instead, the snowflake increases in size while maintaining its six sides.
No two snowflakes are exactly alike
Every flake tends to look unique, resembling everything from prisms and needles to the familiar lacy pattern, according to the National Weather Service.
PeoniesSnow isn’t white
Snow might appear white as it falls from the clouds or accumulates on the ground, but it’s actually translucent. That’s because snow is comprised of tiny ice crystals, which are also translucent.
It can never be too cold for snow
It can never be too cold for snow. Whether it’s 30 below or 30 above zero, there’s a chance it could snow.
It’s quieter when it snows
Fresh snow absorbs sound, lowering ambient noise over a landscape because the trapped air between snowflakes attenuates vibration. That’s why it gets so quiet when it snows.
It takes about 1 hour for a snowflake to reach the ground
Although it depends on each snowflake’s size and mass and the surrounding environmental conditions, most flakes fall at speeds of 1 to 4 mph.
