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Wicked Winter Facts


Now that's a plow!


Snowiest place in the US is in California?

Blue Canyon, California normally gets 241 inches of the white stuff each year. The snowiest large city (vague definition) is Syracuse, New York which digs out of 112 inches of snow on the average each year (1).


Avalanches

1200-1800 avalanches are reported in the US alone, each year! Remember those are just the one reported, many more occur each year without being seen (1).

6-8 people die each year in the state of Colorado from Avalanches. Usually the fatalities occur from people ignoring warning signs to stay away (1).


Iceberg sighted in New Orleans

Twice in history were ice slabs (termed iceberg above for dramatic affect) seen floating past New Orleans into the Gulf of Mexico (1784 & 1899). One ice slab was 2 inches thick when it reached New Orleans (1).



Why is snow white?

Most objects get their color because they absorb a particular frequency or color of visible sunlight. Snow reflects all light. All colors of the rainbow put together = white.


Can it snow when surface temperatures are above freezing?

Yes. Remember snow doesn't form at the surface, it forms way up in the sky. If surface temperatures are below freezing it will remain as snow as it falls to the surface. If temperatures near the surface are above freezing the snow might melt on it's way down and become rain. Summer time thunderstorm rain starts off as snow way high up in the thunderstorm and melts on it's way down.


(1) The Handy Weather Answer Book. Lyons, A. Walter. Visible Ink, Detroit; 1997

Snow Plow picture: http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=view&id=3344

Iceberg picture: NOAA photo library