happens? The cold plate causes the moisture in the warm air inside the jar to condense and form water droplets. This is the same thing that happens in the atmosphere. Warm, moist air rises and meets colder air high in the atmosphere. The water vapor condenses and forms precipitation that falls to the ground.
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Section
3
Blizzards
How Bizarre! Blizzards, Snowstorms, and Ice, Oh My!
Blizzards are the worst weather that winter can dish out! Whenever you hear someone exclaim, âIt looks like a blizzard outside!â theyâre generally talking about the nastiest of days. Meteorologists and weather forecasters use the term blizzard to describe a day of heavy snow, biting winds, and low visibility. The term blizzard originally meant a cannon shot or a volley of musket fire until an Iowa newspaper used the term in 1870 to describe a snowstorm. Blizzards can occur in any location in the world where snow is naturally made.
National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce
What Makes a Snowstorm a Blizzard?
Officially, the National Weather Service defines a blizzard as a storm that contains large amounts of snow or blowing snow, has winds in excess of 35 mph and visibilities of less than a quarter mile, and lasts for at least 3 hours. When these conditions are expected, the National Weather Service will issue a blizzard warning. Blizzard conditions often develop on the northwest side of an intense storm system. The difference between the lower pressure in the storm and the higher pressure to the west creates a tight pressure gradient, or difference in pressure between two locations, which in turn results in very strong winds. These strong winds pick up any available snow from the ground, and/or blow about any snow which is falling, creating very low visibility and the potential for significant drifting of snow. Cold polar air that whips freshly fallen, fine, powdery snow off the ground creates what is called a ground blizzard .
Blizzards can create life-threatening conditions. Traveling by automobile can become difficult, or even impossible, due to whiteout conditions and drifting snow. Whiteout conditions are most often caused by major storms that produce a dry, very powdery snow. In this situation, it doesnât even need to be snowing for there to be a whiteout. When the snow that is already on the ground is blown around, visibility can be reduced to near zero at times.
During a blizzard, gusty winds can knock down trees, bringing down power lines and cutting off electricity for extended periods of time. Often, it can be snowing so hard, at the rate of 2 to 4 inches per hour, that thunder can be heard and flashes of lightning seen. When that happens, itâs called thundersnow . The conditions for making thundersnow are the same as in a thunderstorm except the precipitation falls in the form of snow rather than rain. Itâs a very rare phenomenon that happens when very cold air slams into warm air, along a cold or warm front, or a strong storm system that has a very strong upward motion of wind.
How Do You Make That Snowy Stuff?
To me, snow is by far the most beautiful of all of the various forms of precipitation. To put it simply, snow is cool! The way snow is made is really complexâ¦and some parts of the process still remain a mystery. Snowflakes are made from the water droplets in a cloud, just like rain. But in winter, the water vapor is supercooled âcooled below freezing and frozen into ice crystals. That happens around 14ºF (-10ºC). Snowflakes are made from ice crystals, pure and simple. Sure, rain can freeze, but frozen rain is called sleet and itâs structurally very different from snow.
Do you know that most snowflakes have six sides? Do you know why? The water molecules in ice crystals form a hexagonal latticeâthat is, they have six sidesââso when a water droplet freezes, it forms the six-fold symmetry of snow
----
Section
3
Blizzards
How Bizarre! Blizzards, Snowstorms, and Ice, Oh My!
Blizzards are the worst weather that winter can dish out! Whenever you hear someone exclaim, âIt looks like a blizzard outside!â theyâre generally talking about the nastiest of days. Meteorologists and weather forecasters use the term blizzard to describe a day of heavy snow, biting winds, and low visibility. The term blizzard originally meant a cannon shot or a volley of musket fire until an Iowa newspaper used the term in 1870 to describe a snowstorm. Blizzards can occur in any location in the world where snow is naturally made.
National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce
What Makes a Snowstorm a Blizzard?
Officially, the National Weather Service defines a blizzard as a storm that contains large amounts of snow or blowing snow, has winds in excess of 35 mph and visibilities of less than a quarter mile, and lasts for at least 3 hours. When these conditions are expected, the National Weather Service will issue a blizzard warning. Blizzard conditions often develop on the northwest side of an intense storm system. The difference between the lower pressure in the storm and the higher pressure to the west creates a tight pressure gradient, or difference in pressure between two locations, which in turn results in very strong winds. These strong winds pick up any available snow from the ground, and/or blow about any snow which is falling, creating very low visibility and the potential for significant drifting of snow. Cold polar air that whips freshly fallen, fine, powdery snow off the ground creates what is called a ground blizzard .
Blizzards can create life-threatening conditions. Traveling by automobile can become difficult, or even impossible, due to whiteout conditions and drifting snow. Whiteout conditions are most often caused by major storms that produce a dry, very powdery snow. In this situation, it doesnât even need to be snowing for there to be a whiteout. When the snow that is already on the ground is blown around, visibility can be reduced to near zero at times.
During a blizzard, gusty winds can knock down trees, bringing down power lines and cutting off electricity for extended periods of time. Often, it can be snowing so hard, at the rate of 2 to 4 inches per hour, that thunder can be heard and flashes of lightning seen. When that happens, itâs called thundersnow . The conditions for making thundersnow are the same as in a thunderstorm except the precipitation falls in the form of snow rather than rain. Itâs a very rare phenomenon that happens when very cold air slams into warm air, along a cold or warm front, or a strong storm system that has a very strong upward motion of wind.
How Do You Make That Snowy Stuff?
To me, snow is by far the most beautiful of all of the various forms of precipitation. To put it simply, snow is cool! The way snow is made is really complexâ¦and some parts of the process still remain a mystery. Snowflakes are made from the water droplets in a cloud, just like rain. But in winter, the water vapor is supercooled âcooled below freezing and frozen into ice crystals. That happens around 14ºF (-10ºC). Snowflakes are made from ice crystals, pure and simple. Sure, rain can freeze, but frozen rain is called sleet and itâs structurally very different from snow.
Do you know that most snowflakes have six sides? Do you know why? The water molecules in ice crystals form a hexagonal latticeâthat is, they have six sidesââso when a water droplet freezes, it forms the six-fold symmetry of snow
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