Surviving the Snowstorm

What a week this has been! Ball State actually cancelled two days of classes (which never happens) due to the inclement weather. In honor of the snow, I looked up some winter weather questions and answers:


Is it ever too cold to snow?
Answer: No! No matter how cold it gets there is always moisture in the air. We often associate very cold air with no snow because invasions of air from the northern latitudes are generally associated with clearing conditions. This air is very dense and has little room for moisture. On the other hand, we generally associate heavy snows with air just below the freezing mark.

True or False. It must be 32°F or colder for it to snow.
Answer: False. It has been known to snow with temperatures in the mid 40°s. Temperatures are below 32°F up in the clouds where the snow is forming.

What is the difference between snow, sleet and freezing rain?
Snow: frozen precipitation in the form of six-sided ice crystals form within the cloud. Snow requires below freezing temperatures in all or most of the atmosphere, from the surface to cloud level.
Sleet: frozen precipitation falls as ice pellets. Snowflakes melt into raindrops as they pass through a thin layer of warmer air. Raindrops then refreeze into ice before hitting the ground. Freezing rain occurs when raindrops do not refreeze until they hit the ground.
Freezing rain: rain droplets fall into a shallow layer of cold air near the surface and freeze upon contact with the ground.

What is the coldest temperature ever recorded in Washington, DC?
a. -10°F b. -7°F c. 0°F d. -15°F
Answer: After a snowstorm left a foot of snow over the city on February 8, 1899, a record cold wave struck. On February 11, the temperature dipped to -15°F in the District. It was followed by a second great storm called "The Great Valentines Day Blizzard" which dumped another 20.5 inches of snow. That year DC saw a record 54 inches of snow.

On the average, one inch of rain is equivalent to how many inches of snow?
a. 10 inches b. 1 inch c. 5 inches d. a foot
Answer: a. 10 inches of snow melts down to about an inch of liquid rain.

Can it snow from clear skies?
Answer: Yes. Ice crystals sometimes fall from clear skies when temperatures are in the single digits or colder.


I hope you enjoyed the winter weather quiz! Stay warm!

~Brittany