• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • FAQ
  • Meet the Team
  • About The London Economic
  • Advertise
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
NEWSLETTER
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Must Reads

7 weird and wonderful things you didn’t know about snow

Not exactly a white xmas in UK today...but why not read some facts about snow?!

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
December 22, 2020
in Must Reads
Credit;PA

Credit;PA

Did you know an American town once tried to outlaw snow?

That’s not the only strange thing about the powdery white stuff. Here are seven other fascinating facts about snow…

1. Snowflakes aren’t actually unique

Snowflake Microscope GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Sorry to disappoint, but the idea that no two snowflakes are ever identical is not entirely true… Scientists at Northeastern University, Boston have determined eight main types of shapes, with 39 sub-categories – so on a molecular level, snowflakes can actually be quite similar to one another. That doesn’t stop the intricate star-shaped patterns from being any less beautiful, however.

2. Snow isn’t really white

Winter in the mountains, trees covered with snow. beautiful sunlight
(iStock/PA)

While a blanket of fresh powder might look pure white from a distance, that’s because light bounces off the many surfaces of the snow crystals – up close, the particles are actually translucent.

Which is all well and good, but, ‘I’m dreaming of a transluuuuucent Christmas,’ doesn’t have quite the same ring, does it?

3. Snowflakes can get really big

City Storm GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

According to legend, the largest ever snowflakes were witnessed in 1887 during a storm in Fort Keogh in Montana, with a local man saying they were “larger than milk pans”, although there’s no photographic evidence for the claim.

What is for certain, however, is that the biggest paper snowflake, as certified by Guinness World Records, was created by Christa Hansen in June 2019, measuring 6.1 metres wide.

RelatedPosts

Doctor appears in court video call for traffic violation while performing surgery

Rooster cuts man’s groin and kills him at illegal cockfight and a lot of people said same thing

Watch – NHS carer’s remote island home means she has perhaps UK’s trickiest commute

Healthcare assistant dies with Covid after giving birth to fourth child

4. Igloos can be very warm indeed

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @teemayolo

While a house made of snow may look frosty, with a fire lit inside, igloos can reach temperatures of 20C, even if it’s below zero outside.

How? Because they contain lots of air pockets, making compacted snow a great insulator. Traditional igloos often have two levels inside, with a hole in the roof for ventilation, designed so cold air accumulates at the bottom while the higher level warms up.

5. Not every snowstorm is a blizzard

Cold Bill Murray GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Meteorologists are very particular when it comes to the classification of snowstorms. A blizzard – according to the National Snow And Ice Data Center in the US – is only declared when winds blow at 35 miles per hour and visibility is reduced to less than a quarter of a mile, for a period of at least three hours.

Any shorter and it could it be a ‘squall’ (intense snowfall with strong winds) or a ‘snowburst’ (a sudden downpour of snow).

6. A town tried to make snow illegal

Sad No Way GIF by Molang - Find & Share on GIPHY

In March 1992, after record snowfall the previous winter, the town of Syracuse, New York, passed a resolution that stated: “Be it resolved, on behalf of the snow-weary citizens of the city of Syracuse, any further snowfall is expressly outlawed,” until the following Christmas Eve.

It was all in good humour, however. The law had no effect on the elements and the next winter was the snowiest yet.

7. Nearly 9,000 snow angels broke a world record

Winter Love Story Snow GIF by Hallmark Channel - Find & Share on GIPHY

Who doesn’t love lying down on snowy ground and waving their arms and legs to create a snow angel?

In February 2007, the world record for the most people making snow angels simultaneously was set in Bismarck, North Dakota, with 8,962 angelic imprints recorded.

Related: Watch – This snowball fight – now in colour – from 1896 is truly magical

Support fearless, free, investigative journalism Support fearless, free, investigative journalism Support fearless, free, investigative journalism

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending fromTLE

  • All
  • trending

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

Stress, fear and homelessness: The threat looming over families confronted with eviction

File photo dated 07/11/03 of a prison cell.

The Other Prison Pandemic

Latest from TLE

Asylum seeker with leukaemia living at scandal-hit Barracks as Covid spread through site

Patel bullying case dropped after settlement but how much did it cost taxpayer?

‘Grim warning to Boris Johnson’ as support for Welsh Independence at highest ever level

Labour leader questions ‘fishy’ allocation of funds to Tory areas in Budget

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: jack@thelondoneconomic.com

Commercial enquiries, please contact: advertise@thelondoneconomic.com

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech & Auto
  • About The London Economic
  • Meet the Team
  • Privacy policy

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.