As we are entering that time of the year, one major meterological event occurs.
Snow.
The white stuff. The stuff that reminds us of the cold, and our childhood of playing in it.
But what is it?
The event occurs when water droplets in clouds freeze up inside the clouds, typically at -18 degrees Celsius (the low negatives in Fahrenheit) and it falls out of the cloud towards the Earth.
Typically, if the air around it is above 32 degrees, it melts and becomes rain. If not, it remains solid as snow or sleet, (half rain/half snow).
A blizzard, what we might consider a heavy downpour if it was rain, occurs when winds are gusting over 35 miles an hour and visibility is less than a quarter of a mile in the US. Canada and the United Kingdom use these similar standards to define a blizzard in their respective countries.
Different types of crystals occur at different temperature intervals: thin and flat snowflakes (like platelets) grow in air between 0 °C (32 °F) and −3 °C (27 °F). hollow columns or prisms (long thin pencil-like shapes) occur between temperatures of −3 °C (27 °F) and −8 °C (18 °F). Between −8 °C(18 °F) to −22 °C (−8 °F), snowflakes revert back to the platelet form, but will have branched or dendritic features to it’s shape. Finally, temperatures below −22 °C (−8 °F), the crystal development of a snowflake will become column-like, but many more complex growth patterns also form such as side-planes, and bullet-rosettes can be found with them.
Types of this affect includes Grapel, which is the cousin of Sleet, are both more or less ice pellets that haven’t fully melted into rain from their frozen state. Grapel is more closely resemble hail, while sleet is more snow like.
Lake effect snow, most commonly found in the US in the Great Lakes Area and by New York is a phenom that is caused by cold winds move across long expanses of warmer lake water (i.e. Lake Michigan), and then picking up water vapour which then freezes and is deposited on the lake’s shores of nearby cities.
Ground Blizzards, another term we heard now and again during winter, occurs when strong winds drives already fallen snow to create drifts and whiteouts. This is another name associated with blowing snow, which is Snow on ground that is being moved around by wind. These typically catch people off guard because this is more so a surprised attack than anything because you don’t know that it’s coming.
One thing that intrigues me is slush. This is a event when snow is already melting right before or right after it hits the ground. Enough of this will cause the hazard known called ice.
Now ice is another common feature of winter. When rain or melted snow freezes, it creates a slippery area known as ice. It’s hazardous because we cannot see it until after the fact or when it’s too late.
Most common form of ice is black ice, when ice forms on the road or sidewalk. Best thing to do if you are caught slipping into black ice in a vehicle is do not hit the brake, it will cause your car to slide, don’t hit the gas either. Take you feet off of both and glide into the spin and correct yourself accordingly.
If your not in a car, just be conscious of your surrounding.
The most common way to get rid of black ice is magnesium chloride or calcium chloride, which melts the ice back into a liquid for a while.
Winter is always a fun time of the year with the snow and ice (to a point haha). But with the dangers of both, you must approach with care with the two. Best solutions is to take your time, put on studded tires or chains if you have to in the snow or ice.
sources:
JMcDonaldMedia 
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