Type of snow? [Archive] - Caithness.Org Forums

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Chrisf1961

16-Dec-10, 13:16

I know this might sound crazy but can there be different types of snow? The reason i ask is that the last lot we had here in Wick and also whats coming down at the moment doesnt seem to be proper snow! Its almost like powder like a polysterine type substance ? Cant really explain it properly.......

quality

16-Dec-10, 13:20

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/class/class.htm (http://www.its.caltech.edu/%7Eatomic/snowcrystals/class/class.htm)

Chrisf1961

16-Dec-10, 13:24

Wow thanks a lot i will take a look through

Logical

16-Dec-10, 13:35

It depends on the outside temperature, if you were to ask someone in Canada what their snow was like it is very different to the usual snow we get. Colder country's get nothing but the 'powder snow'.

Because our tempretures are higher than most places with all year snow fall -like the Arctic- , when you can compact or 'pack' the snow it sticks together because the snow inside melts together slightly.

Thats what i gather from what i read in the new scientist about it.

samf1971

16-Dec-10, 13:39

Right thanks a lot just that i noticed that whenh we lived in Yorkshire last year it was a more compacter snow ....i couldnt even mould the snow here in the last lot we had into a snowman! much to my boys annoyance!

orkneycadian

16-Dec-10, 13:39

The reason i ask is that the last lot we had here in Wick and also whats coming down at the moment doesnt seem to be proper snow!

Indeed. Hasn't been proper snow for about 8 years now.

I believe all the snow we have had in the last 7 years or so falls into the category "Liteum dus tin scholas shutum Panikos" - Apologies for the Latin, although the last is from the Greek God, Pan

muffin

16-Dec-10, 15:53

I looked at the website quoted and found the snow crystals absolutely beautiful, make you wonder at nature, but I don't feel inclined to go out at the moment to see what sort of snowflakes are coming horizontally at the moment.
I've added this website to my favourites and will check out the flakes later when the wind has died down.

sharona

16-Dec-10, 16:23

i think it is white snow as same as every time it falls cold and wet thats wat i think thats wat it is ,unless it is him up stairs breakin the package from a dryer or a washing machine is that polysterine >?

northener

16-Dec-10, 16:48

I run round the garden with my tongue stuck right out.

If the white stuff is cold and melts on me tongue - it's snow.

If it's a bit spongy and not cold with a whiff of rotting fish and coal ash, then it's broken up polystyrene from my neighbours wheeliebin.

HTH.

George Brims

16-Dec-10, 20:32

There are lots of kinds of snow. The Inuit in the Arctic really do have about 40 different words for it. The stuff that's like wee balls of polystyrene is the commonest kind we get in the mountains here in California. Sounds like hail hitting the windows. My favorite is the big flat fuzzy stuff that falls down slowly. My granny used to say "They're plucking geese in Orkney" when we got that kind. My least favorite is the kind that drops when it's just a fraction of a degree above freezing point, and becomes incredibly slippy when you pack it with your tyres. Speaking of which, anyone got a spare back bumper for an Isuzu Rodeo 4WD?

Blarney

17-Dec-10, 00:51

Indeed. Hasn't been proper snow for about 8 years now.

I believe all the snow we have had in the last 7 years or so falls into the category "Liteum dus tin scholas shutum Panikos" -

Ha ha ha, nice one!

[quote=George Brims;799695]..........Speaking of which, anyone got a spare back bumper for an Isuzu Rodeo 4WD?

That's awful George, I don't imagine that you'll be able to source one of those bumpers so if you want someone to take that now useless wreck off your hands give us a shout [lol]

upolian

17-Dec-10, 01:10

What type of snow caused this????????

Ricco

19-Dec-10, 11:31