IT is turning out to be one cold winter where temperatures are way too low for our comfort, with snowfall and sub-zero conditions in many parts of the country driving everyone one indoors and into woollies.

In many parts of the world, such as North America, Europe and even colder regions of Asia, where snowfall is a regular winter fare, the amount of snowfall and snow storms experienced this year has turned life into a freezing hell.

Let explore what winter brings and have a closer look at these fluffy white flowers from heaven that cover everything and turn the whole landscape into a stunning spectacle.

Snow formation

When the temperature falls down to freezing point of water or below freezing point — which is zero degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit — water droplets in the clouds freeze and form snow crystals. These crystals grow by absorbing more surrounding water droplets and become snowflakes.

When the ground temperature is around or below freezing, the snow will have no problem reaching the ground. In case if it is higher, the snow will start to melt but the falling snow will bring down the ground temperature and the snow that will fall later will not melt and the ground will be covered with a white fluffy layer in no time. However, if the ground temperature is five degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) or more, the snow will melt into very cold water droplets and result in rainfall.

Snowflakes simplified

No two snowflakes are alike — and they come in many complex shapes. Most snowflakes are crystals with mostly six sides that are usually irregular and sometimes triangular.

Besides these, there are other shapes that look like an hourglass or spools of thread and even needles. Because the arms of a snowflake grows randomly as it comes in contact with smaller snowflakes and accumulates them in its own shape, the snowflakes we end up seeing on the ground are an accumulation of ice crystals.

One of the main factors affecting the shapes of snowflakes is the atmospheric temperature and moisture in the clouds. When it is cold enough for snow to form, snowflakes develop into needles, then as they drop, they form hexagonal prisms and even hollow columns. As the temperature gets still colder, snowflakes become larger and larger.

Most snowflakes are less than 1.3 centimetres (0.5 inches) across, while larger ones with irregular shapes can get as big as five centimetres (two inches) across.

Due to their irregular sizes, snowflakes give the fluffy texture to snow and a comparatively small amount of water can end up forming a huge pile of snow — about an inch of rain make some 10 inches of snow.

Still more about snowflakes

Different names are given to different types of snow, which is not just based on the nature of the snowflakes but also on the conditions that they are formed in. In fact, there is a myth that Eskimos have more than 100 different names for snow. However, the fact is that there aren’t as many but still far more than those in other languages.

Let us look at yet some more kinds of forms that snow and frost can take.

When water, in the form of vapours, comes in contact with surfaces that are colder than the air around them, the vapours directly solidify without becoming liquid first and this type of frost is called hoar frost. Hoar are spiky and form on trees, wires and thin object exposed to chilly conditions.

Another type is graupel that forms when snowflakes fall through a cloud containing super-cooled water droplets, with the droplets freezing on the snowflakes, turning them into larger irregular lumpy balls of snow.

Freezing, yet snow-less

While it can never be too cold to snow but a place can be too dry to snow. Snow is made up of water, so snow cannot form without moisture, therefore places with little moisture in the atmosphere, no matter how cold, will not see much snowfall. Antarctica’s Dry Valleys is one such very, very cold place, forming the largest ice-free portion of the continent.

Definition of snowy conditions

Snow flurries: Light snowfall for a short duration with little or no accumulation of snow on the ground and surfaces.

Snow Showers: This is when snow falls for a short period but there is both light and heavy snowfall that leads to a bit of accumulation of snow.

Snow squalls: Brief but heavy snow shower with strong winds, leading to significant snow piling up on surfaces.

Blowing snow: Very windy conditions during snowfall leading to low visibility and it can also be when it is very windy and the snow on the ground just after some heavy snowfall is blown up with the wind. This is similar to sand blowing in the air in a sand storm.

Blizzard: This is a serious stormy condition where winds over 35 mph blow during snowfall with almost no visibility. It is very dangerous to be out in a blizzard.

Sleet: Rain drops freeze into ice pellets and fall as sleets, which are more like pieces of ice. It can occur in places that are cold but not prone to snowfall.

Freezing rain: As the name suggests, this is rainfall during freezing temperature, and the fallen rain then freezes to form a sheet of ice over surfaces.

Snowy facts

• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world’s largest snowflake was 15 inches across and eight inches thick, found at Fort Keogh, Montana, US, on January 28, 1887.

• Snow has the tendency to reflect a high level of ultraviolet radiation and can lead to photokeratitis or snow blindness. Sunglasses, goggles and other eye protection are needed to be used to help absorb the ultraviolet rays.

• Chionophobia is a fear of snow.

• Pibloktoq, a hysteria seen in people living in the Arctic, can cause a wide range of symptoms, including echolalia (senseless repetition of overheard words) and running around naked in the snow.

• The average snowflake has a top speed of 1.7 metres per second.

• Eighty per cent of the Earth’s freshwater is frozen as ice or snow that covers about 12 per cent of the earth’s surface.

• The world’s largest snowman, actually a snowwoman, was built by residents of Bethel, Maine, in 2008. It was 122 feet, with 30 ft spruce trees for arms and skis for eyelashes.

• Japanese scientists have developed a snow-eating robot, fitted with GPS, which shovels snow from the drive and compacts it into ice bricks.

• Mount Baker ski area in Washington State has the world record for snowfall at 1,140 inches of snow in the 1998/1999 winter season.

• There are occasional reports of red, yellow or black snow falling from the sky, probably due to pollen, windblown dust, or ash and soot.

• In Antarctica, the hard, flat snow reflects sound waves with incredible efficiency. Some researchers say they have heard human voices a mile away.