Where does the snow come from?

Without snow it is impossible to imagine winter,however, where does the snow come from? Despite the fact that this question is, to some extent, childish, even adults can not even correctly answer it. Under the snow is meant a special form of atmospheric precipitation, which consists of ice crystals of very small dimensions. Snow refers to the complex sediments that fall on the earth's surface.

Origin of snow

By its structure, snow always consists ofa large number of ice crystals of very small size. At its core, snow is considered to be frozen water. Due to excessive humidity, the pressure is slightly lower at the top of the atmosphere, and the air temperature is noticeably cooler, it is this phenomenon that explains where the snow and ice in the atmosphere come from. Then the steam gradually crystallizes, as a rule, this usually occurs around dust particles or other small particles. They are also called crystallization centers. Gradually the snowflake grows heavier and falls down.

Why is snow white?

The white color of the snow comes from the air thatlies in a snowflake. The light of all possible frequencies is reflected on the surfaces between the crystals of the snowflake and the air, after which it dissipates. Note that snowflakes are 95% air. It is this that causes their low density and also their slow fall speed (about 0.9 km / h) on the earth's surface. The largest snowflake was recorded by meteorological stations on January 28, 1887 in Fort Keo, Montana in the USA. Its diameter was 15 inches (this is about 38 cm). On average, snowflakes have a diameter of about 5 mm, and their average mass is 0.004 grams.