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Q&A for Winter Wonders! |
Who makes snowflakes?
Snowflakes are so beautiful that they certainly must be made very carefully! Who does all of that work??
The answer is that snowflakes come from none other than Mother Nature herself! You’re probably already familiar with snow, and you might think of it as a sort of cold, icy rain. Technically, raindrops that freeze in the air are what you know as “sleet,” while the frozen form of something called “water vapor” (water when it’s a gas instead of a solid or liquid) creates what you know as “snowflakes”!
Snowflakes form when the water vapor in a cloud freezes into ice crystals on a tiny piece of dust. The ice crystals grow as a six-sided shaped called a “hexagon”. (Kind of like the shape of a stop sign!) From there, different factors such as temperature changes, wind, and other dust that a snowflake comes across make the snowflake grow additional branches and change into it’s beautiful, unique shape!
Also see: Is it true that no two snowflakes are alike?, Why is snow white?
Brrr! The reason it’s cold in winter is pretty “cool”!
You might already know that the Earth travels around the Sun, but did you know that when it does, the Earth is actually tilted? Just like a person can lean, so does the Earth!
During its summer months, the north part of the world is tilted toward the sun, but during the winter, it’s tilted away, making it harder for warm sunlight to reach it.—The more a place is tilted away from the Sun, the chillier it will get!
Did you know that the south half of the world is having its winter when the north half of the world is having its summer? That’s because when the North is tilted away from the sun, the South is tilted towards it. When it is hot in the United States, it can be pretty cold in Australia!
Also see: What is a hemisphere?, Why do we have seasons?
Why isn’t there lightning when it snows?
The reason we see a lot less lightning and hear a lot less thunder when it’s snowing is the same as the reason you need to wear a hat, coat, and mittens to go outside: it's really cold out!
During a thunderstorm, rising warm air and sinking cold air cause big dark clouds to form. However, when the majority of the air is very cold (like during a winter snowstorm), the warm air doesn't rise as much, and those thunderstorm clouds don't form as easily! Because cold winter temperatures make it less likely for the clouds that bring thunder and lightning to form, it’s rare to ever see or hear thunder and lightning when it snows.
On the few neat occasions that it does happen, the thunder and lightning of a snowstorm is called "thundersnow." Some cool things happen during thundersnow. Lightning causes all the snow in the sky to light up, and it reflects the lightning brightly through the sky. The snow also causes the thunder to be muted, so the sound is very quiet!
Also see: What is a blizzard?, Why is thunder loud?
What was the coldest day in history?
Would you believe that the coldest temperature ever recorded happened in the middle of July?? In 1983, the coldest temperature ever recorded was reached in Antarctica on July 23rd, when it was -129°F! Antarctica is not a surprising place for the coldest temperature. The continent is at the South Pole, which spends more time pointed away from the Sun's energy and warmth than anywhere else on Earth—except the North Pole, where it is also very cold.
The particular place in Antarctica where the temperature was recorded is called Vostok. It's too cold for people to live there comfortably, so there isn't much there except for a scientific research station.
The runner up for the coldest recorded temperature was a tie between two places in Russia. It reached a bitter -90°F in 1892 and 1933!
Also see: What was the hottest day in history?, Does it snow in Africa?
Why doesn’t the ocean ever freeze?
In winter, the water in some lakes and ponds will freeze so much that you can go ice-skating! But a wintertime trip to the coast probably shows you that the ocean isn’t the same. Here’s why:
One reason ocean water doesn’t freeze all the way through is because it’s so salty! Salt lowers the freezing point of water, meaning that freshwater (without salt – like a lake or pond) will freeze sooner than salt-water; salt-water like the ocean has to get even colder than freshwater before it will freeze, and it doesn’t always necessarily reach a cold enough temperature to do that.
In addition to all of its salt, ocean water also undergoes more movement than the freshwater in lakes and ponds. The movement of ocean water (like from currents or wind) helps it have more heat than smaller lakes and ponds where the water is generally much more still.
In certain cold parts of the ocean, some water will freeze on top and then float like big sheets on the water below it! The amount of frozen water in the ocean depends on the season, but usually at least 15% of ocean water is frozen at any given time. – That’s several million square miles!
Also see: Why is the ocean salty?, How do polar bears live on ice?
The above answers were written by Brian Griffin and Mya Kagan. For more on these topics and endless others, just browse or search!
Very nice collection of info. Cutely written for kids. Brrr, it mkaes me ready for summer.