Do you know what is falling all around you?

When you are heading out to build the first snow man of the year, do you know which snow is best to use? Any snow would work but it is the classic snowflake that seems to work the best. NSIDC.org explained that there differences between snowfalls...

  • Snowflakes are single ice crystals or clusters of ice crystals that fall from a cloud.
  • Hoarfrost is the deposition of ice crystals on a surface when the temperature of the surface is lower than the frost point of the surrounding air. In this process, moisture goes directly from vapor to solid, skipping the liquid phase. Hoar frost is usually composed of interlocking ice crystals, and tends to form on objects of small diameter that are freely exposed to air, such as wires, poles, tree branches, plant stems, and leaf edges.
  • Graupel consists of snowflakes that become rounded, opaque pellets ranging from 2 to 5 millimeters (0.1 to 0.2 inches) in diameter. They form as ice crystals fall through supercooled cloud droplets, which are below freezing but remain a liquid. The cloud droplets then freeze to the crystals, forming a lumpy mass. Graupel is sometimes mistaken for hail, but tends to have a texture that is softer and more crumbly. Graupel is sometimes also called snow pellets.
  • Polycrystals are snowflakes composed of many individual ice crystals.

I don't really care what kind of snow is making it's way to the ground as along as I am cuddled up inside with my dog, a cup of hot coco and a good book.

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