(Note from the writer: Apologies in advance for all puns in future blog entry titles. Let’s just say that I can’t resist.)

No baseball or softball practice today… at least not outdoors.

At the time of writing this blog post, Eastern University has experienced three snow days and one early dismissal in the first two weeks of the spring semester – is that a new record? Even if it isn’t, inclement weather has certainly had an impact on Eastern’s class schedule, and it’s easy to see why some professors may have the winter blues. However, whether you love or hate this seasonal weather, Warner Library is here to make the most of it by teaching you some fun facts about snow!

• As impossible as it might sound, snow has fallen in states as far south as Texas and Florida – even Hawaii! San Diego and Los Angeles have reported flurries in the past, and in 1977, traces of snow fell in Miami, dusting cars. Strangely enough, it has never once snowed in Key West.
• According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, snow can be considered a mineral, as it is formed of ice which is a naturally-occurring solid with a definite chemical composition.
• Colorado and Alaska hold the records for most snow to fall in a 24-hour period. 1921 saw Silver Lake, Colorado receive 75.8 inches of snow in a single day, and in 1963, Alaska saw 78 inches fall in one day. So before you complain about a few inches…
• 

  This pink snow is caused by cold-loving, fresh-water algae living inside the ice as it melts.

  No matter what the Christmas songs say, snow isn’t white. In fact, it’s translucent, and snow reflects 90% of visible light as it falls with no preference to color. Thus, as visible light is white, falling snow appears to be white. However, snow can oftentimes appear blue, as red light gets trapped in the snowbank, and there are even instances of red-pink snow, affectionately called “watermelon snow.” Yellow snow, though, is exactly what you think it is.

• Snowflakes can indeed be the same. In 1988, a National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) scientist put two snowflakes under a microscope and realized they were identical. Other instances of twin snow crystals have since been found, thus quashing the myth of no two snowflakes being the same.
• If you have choinophobia (fear of snow), we wouldn’t recommend looking outside.
• Ready for a snowball fight? Well, we doubt you could have one larger than the one which took place in Saskatoon, Canada on January 31, 2016 when 7,600 people came out to lob snowballs at each other.

Sources:

“All About Snow.” National Snow and Ice Data Center. Accessed 17 January 2018. https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/snow.

Belles, Jonathan. “10 Facts About Snow That Might Surprise You.” The Weather Channel. November 9, 2016. Accessed 17 January 2018. https://weather.com/science/weather-explainers/news/ten-facts-about-snow.

Nowak, Claire. “11 Mind-Blowing Facts About Snow You Never Knew Until Now.” Reader’s Digest. Accessed 17 January 2018. https://www.rd.com/culture/fun-snow-facts.