January 2011
on
Winter Snow
cold air makes very light, dry snow. The warmer the air,
the wetter the snow will be. Since snow is composed of
small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an
open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by
external pressure. Snowflakes which fall in the form
of a ball, due to melting and refreezing, rather than a
flake, are known as graupel. These are also sometimes
called snow pellets, ice pellets, ice granules , snow
grains or sleet.
Snowfall amount and its related liquid equivalent
precipitation amount are determined using a variety of
different rain gauges. The process of precipitating snow
is called snowfall. Snowfall tends to form within regions
of upward motion of air around a type of low-pressure
system known as an extratropical cyclone. Snow can
fall poleward of these systems’ associated warm fronts
and within their comma head precipitation patterns.
They are called this due to the comma-like shape of
the cloud and precipitation pattern.
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Phone: 260-463-4901 • Fax 888-439-6528 • The Hometown Treasure
A fresh start to a
new year reminds me
of a fresh blanket of
snow and the Christmas season. Snow is a beautiful
sight to see, especially when it falls from the sky as big
flakes. A pure white snow-covered ground resembles
purity and a clean atmosphere, doesn’t it? Let’s take a
joyful ride in this journey we call snow to get a better
understanding of frozen rain … which is what snow
is, for the most part.
Why is there snow?
Snow is frozen rain. Droplets of water in a cloud
form tiny ice crystals that turn into snowflakes. Snow
is made of water and air. Snow is mostly air, so a very
small amount of water will make a large amount of snow.
Where do snowflakes come from?
Snowflakes are formed from tiny crystals of frozen
water droplets. As the flakes grow, they take on different
shapes. Different kinds of flakes make different kinds of
snow. Kinds of flakes depend on the temperature. Very
January 2011
Spotlight Nature
by David Lane, Indiana Master Naturalist
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