Wednesday, November 13, 2013

snow..snow..snow..

Who Love's Snow?

Snow is made from big purple clouds and when it falls it falls hard like bubble gum precipitation in the form of flakes of crystalline water ice that falls from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless subjected to external pressure. Snowflakes come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Types that fall in the form of a ball due to melting and refreezing, rather than a flake, are known as hail, ice pellets or snow grains.
The process of precipitating snow is called snowfall. Snowfall tends to form within regions of upward movement of air around a type of low-pressure system known as an extratropical cyclone. Snow can fall poleward of these systems' associated warm fronts and within their comma head precipitation patterns (called such due to the comma-like shape of the cloud and precipitation pattern around the poleward and west sides of extratropical cyclones). Where relatively warm water bodies are present, for example because of water evaporation from lakes, lake-effect snowfall becomes a concern downwind of the warm lakes within the cold cyclonic flow around the backside of extratropical cyclones. Lake-effect snowfall can be heavy locally. Thundersnow is possible within a cyclone's comma head and within lake effect precipitation bands. In mountainous areas, heavy snow is possible where upslope flow is maximized within windward sides of the terrain at elevation, if the atmosphere is cold enough. Snowfall amount and its related liquid equivalent precipitation amount are measured using a variety of different rain gauges.
 
Once on the ground, snow can be categorized as powdery when light and fluffy, fresh when recent but heavier, granular when it begins the cycle of melting and refreezing, and eventually ice once it comes down, after multiple melting and refreezing cycles, into a dense mass called snow pack. When powdery, snow moves with the wind from the location where it originally landed, forming deposits called snowdrifts that may have a depth of several meters. After attaching itself to hillsides, blown snow can evolve into a snow slab—an avalanche hazard on steep slopes. The existence of a snowpack keeps temperatures lower than they would be otherwise, as the whiteness of the snow reflects most sunlight, and any absorbed heat goes into melting the snow rather than increasing its temperature. The water equivalent of snowfall is measured to monitor how much liquid is available to flood rivers from meltwater that will occur during the following spring. Snow cover can protect crops from extreme cold. If snowfall stays on the ground for a series of years uninterrupted, the snowpack develops into a mass of ice called glacier. Fresh snow absorbs sound, lowering ambient noise over a landscape because the trapped air between snowflakes attenuates vibration. These acoustic qualities quickly minimize and reverse, once a layer of freezing rain falls on top of snow cover. Walking across snowfall produces a squeaking sound at low temperatures.
The energy balance of the snowpack itself is dictated by several heat exchange processes. The snowpack absorbs solar shortwave radiation that is partially blocked by cloud cover and reflected by snow surface. A long-wave heat exchange takes place between the snowpack and its surrounding environment that includes overlying air mass, tree cover and clouds. Heat exchange takes place by convection between the snowpack and the overlaying air mass, and it is governed by the temperature gradient and wind speed. Moisture exchange between the snowpack and the overlying air mass is accompanied by latent heat transfer that is influenced by vapor pressure gradient and air wind. Rain on snow can add significant amounts of thermal energy to the snowpack. A generally insignificant heat exchange takes place by conduction between the snowpack and the ground. The small temperature change from before to after a snowfall is a result of the heat transfer between the snowpack and the air.[1] As snow degrades, its surface can develop characteristic ablation textures such as suncups or penitentes.
The term snow storm can describe a heavy snowfall, while a blizzard involves snow and wind, obscuring visibility. Snow shower is a term for an intermittent snowfall, while flurry is used for very light, brief snowfalls. Snow can fall more than a meter at a time during a single storm in flat areas, and meters at a time in rugged terrain, such as mountains. When snow falls in significant quantities, travel by foot, car, airplane and other means becomes severely restricted, but other methods of mobility become possible, such as the use of snowmobiles, snowshoes and skis. When heavy snow occurs early in the fall (or, on rarer occasions, late in the spring), significant damage can occur to trees still in leaf. Areas with significant snow each year can store the winter snow within an ice house, which can be used to cool structures during the following summer. A variation on snow has been observed on Venus, though composed of metallic compounds and occurring at a substantially higher temperature.(source:wikipedia-snow)


 
 
 
Here's our first snow of the year, isn't that pretty? but boy it is very cold so take out all your winter clothes and bundled up.
 
 
 
 
My little one first experience on the snow, hhmm I don't think she like it.(mommy what is this aaahhh very cold lol.)I let her try to make snow angel :)
 
 
 
It was a fun day for me and especially to my little one to let her experience  her first snow ever, I just cant pass not to take her out that day and enjoy it coz in the later afternoon the snow melts down. I'm just glad I took a bunch of pictures before it melts down although she don't like it on the first time but eventually she will get use to it coz I'm sure there is more coming up in this winter season. Thanks everyone for the visit! Have a nice day.


13 comments:

  1. It's good seeing your little angel playing on the snow. Keep warm little one:)

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  2. aw, so cute! she must be feeling really cold! right, keep warm little princess! :-)

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  3. Awww, snow angel! Sana maka-experience din ako ng snow! :D

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  4. Haven't had experience with snow yet, and it looks exciting! :D Someday.... ;)

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  5. Oooh, such lovely pictures! Your daughter is such a sweetie!

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  6. She's so cute in her pink winter suit. I want to experience snow too, I hope one day I will.

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  7. What a lovable snow angel! I like snow when it is still white! I heard it arrived so early this year!

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  8. Such a cutie, pretty in pink indeed. I can't imagine the cold there...I'd probably freeze to death hehe

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  9. So nice. I have not experienced snow. Someday. Your child is soo cute.

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  10. that is a very lovely experience. I never have experienced snow yet..

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  11. Cute naman ni mommy at ni baby! Love the snow.. kelan kaya ako mkakakita nyan for real? Hehe..

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  12. We don't experience snow here in the middle east, oh how I wish. Love the feeling of being cuddled up so warm.

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  13. I want to experience white christmas too...We don't have snow here but it was already cold especially in the morning.
    Allan (http://www.ourfamilyblogsabout.info)

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Thanks for your comment. Have a nice day!