Why does it snow?
Snow falls from the sky, but where exactly does it come from? Is it a cloud, breaking up into little pieces? Or is there a giant living up there, who has made a bunch of really cold paper confetti he feels like throwing around??
You've probably noticed that it only snows when it is very cold outside, and if you know about how water becomes ice when it gets cold, then you might think snow must be frozen rain.
Generally, frozen rain is what is referred to as "sleet" while snow is actually frozen water vapor. "Water vapor" refers to water when it's in the form of a gas instead of in the form of a liquid (such as rain or drinking water) or a solid (such as ice).
You might not have heard of it before, but even though water vapor is invisible, it's all around us and it plays a big part in everything from snow to rain to clouds and more! When cold temperatures change the water vapor in the atmosphere directly into the solid state of ice (without first passing through the liquid stage), it creates snow that then showers down out of the sky! (Or, if the transformation happens closer to the ground on a cold surface, it creates frost.) As soon as the temperature warms up again, the snow usually melts back into liquid water! This is all part of the awesome process of The Water Cycle!
by Mya Kagan (Whyzz writer)
Exploration
Snow in summer! Have you ever really wished you could have snowflakes even on a day when it's not snowing?? Well, now you can! Just follow these instructions:Gather a square sheet of paper and a pair of scissors.Fold the paper in half to make a triangle, and then in half again to make a smaller triangle.Hold the triangle with the longer edge on top, and fold the right-hand corner towards the middle until it's directly above the bottom point of the triangle. Next, fold the left-hand over the middle until it crosses over the right-hand point. Last, cut off the two points that are sticking up using a straight line.You are now ready to make your snowflake! Cut out whatever lines, circles, loops, or zigzags that you would like from the triangle that remains. When you unfold the paper, you will have your very own, unique, one-of-a-kind snowflake!
Further Information
It's okay if water vapor is something hard for you to understand - even though it's all around us, you can't see it! You might be picturing it as steam, although it's not quite the same thing. Just remember that liquid water is like raindrops and drinking water, frozen water is like snowflakes and ice, and water vapor is something very special and sort-of in between the two!
