We gaze at it, frolic in it, trample through it, and yell at it at the close of a blustery winter season, but have you ever stopped to truly ask yourself, “What is snow?” Yes, if you live in Chicago like us, you already know that it’s a swirly, enchanted form of precipitation, but upon closer examination, we witness the intricacies of its creation. Snow is actually composed of delicate ice crystals that are categorized, both in weight and diameter, by how much atmospheric moisture attaches to these crystals as they travel toward Earth.
Snow is categorized by its three different forms: snowflakes, snow pellets, and sleet. Snowflakes are a simple grouping of crystals. Snow pellets emerge out of a liquid state as the crystals encounter water (cloud droplets) on their journey to Earth, resulting in a moist pellet. Sleet forms when ice combines with moisture, thus creating a copious number of tiny ice pellets that dart to the ground, usually in the form of freezing rain.
Of course, ideal conditions prompt snow to form in the first place. It’s about so much more than a frosty temperature on the thermostat. Typically, the actual atmospheric temperature is at freezing or below with an optimal level of moisture in the air. However, freezing and cooling can occur as the snow travels to the ground, which can prevent the crystals from melting even if the temperature isn’t ideal. Indeed, snow is quite the temperamental substance, but it’s always a welcome, magical site that ushers in a wintry world all of its own.
Would you like to be sure that magical white fluff isn’t controlling your business this winter? Contact Brancato for more information about our impeccable commercial snow and ice management solutions.
Sources:
https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/snow/index.html
https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/snow/index.html