Snow is lovely until it becomes freezing rain, black ice, or the reason I cannot find the driveway. These 120 questions explain what is falling, freezing, drifting, cracking, and occasionally rolling itself into a tiny weather burrito.
How Snow Forms
Q: What is Snow?
A: It is ice crystals that grow in clouds and fall to the ground.
Q: Which form of precipitation is ice crystals that grow in clouds and fall to the ground?
A: Snow.
Q: What is Snowflake?
A: It is one snow crystal or a cluster of snow crystals falling together.
Q: Which ice structure is one snow crystal or a cluster of snow crystals falling together?
A: Snowflake.
Q: What is Ice crystal?
A: It is water molecules arranged in an ordered crystalline lattice.
Q: Which solid structure is water molecules arranged in an ordered crystalline lattice?
A: Ice crystal.
Q: What is Ice nucleation?
A: It is the initial formation of an ice crystal around a particle or existing ice.
Q: Which process is the initial formation of an ice crystal around a particle or existing ice?
A: Ice nucleation.
Q: What is Dendrite?
A: It is a branching, tree-like crystal with six main arms.
Q: Which snow crystal is a branching, tree-like crystal with six main arms?
A: Dendrite.
Q: What is Snow plate?
A: It is a thin, flat, hexagonal ice crystal.
Q: Which snow crystal is a thin, flat, hexagonal ice crystal?
A: Snow plate.
Q: What is Snow column?
A: It is a slender, six-sided crystal that can resemble a tiny pencil.
Q: Which snow crystal is a slender, six-sided crystal that can resemble a tiny pencil?
A: Snow column.
Q: What is Graupel?
A: It is soft pellets formed when supercooled droplets freeze onto snow crystals.
Q: Which frozen precipitation is soft pellets formed when supercooled droplets freeze onto snow crystals?
A: Graupel.
Q: What is Sleet?
A: It is ice pellets formed when melted snow refreezes before reaching the ground.
Q: Which frozen precipitation is ice pellets formed when melted snow refreezes before reaching the ground?
A: Sleet.
Q: What is Freezing rain?
A: It is liquid drops that freeze after striking a surface below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Q: Which precipitation is liquid drops that freeze after striking a surface below 32 degrees Fahrenheit?
A: Freezing rain.
Q: What is Hail?
A: It is layered ice balls produced inside strong thunderstorm updrafts.
Q: Which frozen precipitation is layered ice balls produced inside strong thunderstorm updrafts?
A: Hail.
Q: What is Powder snow?
A: It is fresh, loose snow with relatively low moisture content.
Q: Which snow condition is fresh, loose snow with relatively low moisture content?
A: Powder snow.
Q: What is Snow crust?
A: It is a firm surface layer created by wind, melting, or refreezing.
Q: Which snow condition is a firm surface layer created by wind, melting, or refreezing?
A: Snow crust.
Q: What is Corn snow?
A: It is coarse spring snow grains produced by repeated melting and refreezing.
Q: Which snow condition is coarse spring snow grains produced by repeated melting and refreezing?
A: Corn snow.
Q: What is Firn?
A: It is dense snow that has survived at least one summer but has not become glacial ice.
Q: Which old snow is dense snow that has survived at least one summer but has not become glacial ice?
A: Firn.
Ice, Frost & Frozen Ground
Q: What is Glacier?
A: It is persistent land ice that deforms and flows under its own weight.
Q: Which ice mass is persistent land ice that deforms and flows under its own weight?
A: Glacier.
Q: What is Ice cap?
A: It is a dome-shaped ice body covering less than about 19,000 square miles.
Q: Which ice mass is a dome-shaped ice body covering less than about 19,000 square miles?
A: Ice cap.
Q: What is Iceberg?
A: It is freshwater ice that has calved from a glacier or ice shelf.
Q: Which floating ice is freshwater ice that has calved from a glacier or ice shelf?
A: Iceberg.
Q: What is Sea ice?
A: It is ocean water that freezes at the surface.
Q: Which frozen water is ocean water that freezes at the surface?
A: Sea ice.
Q: What is Frost?
A: It is ice crystals that form on a cold surface from water vapor.
Q: Which ice deposit is ice crystals that form on a cold surface from water vapor?
A: Frost.
Q: What is Hoarfrost?
A: It is feathery ice crystals deposited directly from humid air.
Q: Which frost type is feathery ice crystals deposited directly from humid air?
A: Hoarfrost.
Q: What is Rime?
A: It is rough ice formed when supercooled fog droplets freeze onto a surface.
Q: Which ice deposit is rough ice formed when supercooled fog droplets freeze onto a surface?
A: Rime.
Q: What is Black ice?
A: It is a thin, transparent glaze that is difficult to see on pavement.
Q: Which road hazard is a thin, transparent glaze that is difficult to see on pavement?
A: Black ice.
Q: What is Permafrost?
A: It is ground that remains at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for at least two years.
Q: Which frozen ground is ground that remains at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for at least two years?
A: Permafrost.
Q: What is Frost heave?
A: It is upward soil movement caused when growing ice lenses expand beneath the surface.
Q: Which ground process is upward soil movement caused when growing ice lenses expand beneath the surface?
A: Frost heave.
Q: What is Snowpack?
A: It is layers of accumulated snow that persist on the ground.
Q: Which snow cover is layers of accumulated snow that persist on the ground?
A: Snowpack.
Q: What is Avalanche?
A: It is a rapid mass movement of snow down a slope.
Q: Which snow hazard is a rapid mass movement of snow down a slope?
A: Avalanche.
Q: What is Slab avalanche?
A: It is a cohesive plate of snow that fractures and slides as a unit.
Q: Which avalanche type is a cohesive plate of snow that fractures and slides as a unit?
A: Slab avalanche.
Q: What is Loose-snow avalanche?
A: It is a slide that begins at one point and widens downhill.
Q: Which avalanche type is a slide that begins at one point and widens downhill?
A: Loose-snow avalanche.
Q: What is Powder cloud?
A: It is airborne snow that can race ahead of dense avalanche debris.
Q: Which avalanche feature is airborne snow that can race ahead of dense avalanche debris?
A: Powder cloud.
Avalanches, Storms & Snow Measurement
Q: What is Snow cornice?
A: It is an overhanging wind-built ridge along a mountain crest.
Q: Which snow formation is an overhanging wind-built ridge along a mountain crest?
A: Snow cornice.
Q: What is Snow bridge?
A: It is a snow arch concealing a crevasse, stream, or gap.
Q: Which snow formation is a snow arch concealing a crevasse, stream, or gap?
A: Snow bridge.
Q: What is Crevasse?
A: It is a deep crack formed where moving glacier ice stretches.
Q: Which glacier feature is a deep crack formed where moving glacier ice stretches?
A: Crevasse.
Q: What is Sastrugi?
A: It is hard, wind-carved ridges aligned with prevailing winds.
Q: Which snow formation is hard, wind-carved ridges aligned with prevailing winds?
A: Sastrugi.
Q: What is Blizzard?
A: It is a storm with strong winds and blowing snow that sharply reduces visibility.
Q: Which winter storm is a storm with strong winds and blowing snow that sharply reduces visibility?
A: Blizzard.
Q: What is Whiteout?
A: It is a loss of horizon and surface contrast in snow-covered surroundings.
Q: Which visibility condition is a loss of horizon and surface contrast in snow-covered surroundings?
A: Whiteout.
Q: What is Wind chill?
A: It is the rate of heat loss from exposed skin expressed as an equivalent temperature.
Q: Which weather measure is the rate of heat loss from exposed skin expressed as an equivalent temperature?
A: Wind chill.
Q: What is Snow gauge?
A: It is a device used to collect and measure snowfall or melted precipitation.
Q: Which instrument is a device used to collect and measure snowfall or melted precipitation?
A: Snow gauge.
Q: What is Snow water equivalent?
A: It is the depth of liquid water contained in a snowpack.
Q: Which measurement is the depth of liquid water contained in a snowpack?
A: Snow water equivalent.
Q: What is Albedo?
A: It is the fraction of incoming sunlight reflected by a surface.
Q: Which surface property is the fraction of incoming sunlight reflected by a surface?
A: Albedo.
Q: What is Latent heat of fusion?
A: It is the energy absorbed or released when water changes between liquid and solid.
Q: Which energy term is the energy absorbed or released when water changes between liquid and solid?
A: Latent heat of fusion.
Q: What is Water’s freezing point?
A: It is 32 degrees Fahrenheit at standard atmospheric pressure.
Q: Which temperature is 32 degrees Fahrenheit at standard atmospheric pressure?
A: Water’s freezing point.
Q: What is Ice buoyancy?
A: It is the floating of solid water because ice is less dense than liquid water.
Q: Which physical effect is the floating of solid water because ice is less dense than liquid water?
A: Ice buoyancy.
Q: What is Hexagonal symmetry?
A: It is the sixfold geometry created by ordinary ice’s molecular structure.
Q: Which crystal pattern is the sixfold geometry created by ordinary ice’s molecular structure?
A: Hexagonal symmetry.
Q: What is Snowflake individuality?
A: It is the practical observation that complex natural flakes are extraordinarily unlikely to match exactly.
Q: Which common claim is the practical observation that complex natural flakes are extraordinarily unlikely to match exactly?
A: Snowflake individuality.
Rare Snow Formations, Safety & Winter Gear
Q: What is Diamond dust?
A: It is tiny ice crystals falling from a nearly clear sky in very cold air.
Q: Which weather phenomenon is tiny ice crystals falling from a nearly clear sky in very cold air?
A: Diamond dust.
Q: What is Thundersnow?
A: It is a snowstorm that also produces thunder and lightning.
Q: Which weather phenomenon is a snowstorm that also produces thunder and lightning?
A: Thundersnow.
Q: What is Lake-effect snow?
A: It is snow created when cold air gains heat and moisture over relatively warmer lake water.
Q: Which weather pattern is snow created when cold air gains heat and moisture over relatively warmer lake water?
A: Lake-effect snow.
Q: What is Snowbelt?
A: It is an area that regularly receives heavy lake-effect or terrain-enhanced snowfall.
Q: Which region is an area that regularly receives heavy lake-effect or terrain-enhanced snowfall?
A: Snowbelt.
Q: What is Snow shadow?
A: It is a relatively dry area downwind of terrain that removes moisture from passing air.
Q: Which weather pattern is a relatively dry area downwind of terrain that removes moisture from passing air?
A: Snow shadow.
Q: What is Snow roller?
A: It is a rare natural cylinder rolled across the ground by wind.
Q: Which snow formation is a rare natural cylinder rolled across the ground by wind?
A: Snow roller.
Q: What is Penitentes?
A: It is tall blades of hardened snow or ice found in high, dry mountain regions.
Q: Which snow formation is tall blades of hardened snow or ice found in high, dry mountain regions?
A: Penitentes.
Q: What is Sun cup?
A: It is a bowl-shaped depression created by uneven melting or sublimation.
Q: Which snow formation is a bowl-shaped depression created by uneven melting or sublimation?
A: Sun cup.
Q: What is Snow blindness?
A: It is temporary corneal damage caused by intense ultraviolet light reflected from snow.
Q: Which eye injury is temporary corneal damage caused by intense ultraviolet light reflected from snow?
A: Snow blindness.
Q: What is Igloo?
A: It is a dome traditionally built from blocks of compacted snow.
Q: Which shelter is a dome traditionally built from blocks of compacted snow?
A: Igloo.
Q: What is Snowshoe?
A: It is a broad frame that spreads body weight across soft snow.
Q: Which travel equipment is a broad frame that spreads body weight across soft snow?
A: Snowshoe.
Q: What is Crampon?
A: It is a metal frame with spikes attached to footwear for travel on ice.
Q: Which traction equipment is a metal frame with spikes attached to footwear for travel on ice?
A: Crampon.
Q: What is Ice cleat?
A: It is a removable studded device worn over shoes on slippery ice.
Q: Which traction equipment is a removable studded device worn over shoes on slippery ice?
A: Ice cleat.
Q: What is Ice resurfacer?
A: It is a vehicle that shaves, cleans, and floods rink ice with fresh water.
Q: Which machine is a vehicle that shaves, cleans, and floods rink ice with fresh water?
A: Ice resurfacer.
Q: What is Artificial snow?
A: It is small ice particles made by spraying water droplets into sufficiently cold air.
Q: Which manufactured snow is small ice particles made by spraying water droplets into sufficiently cold air?
A: Artificial snow.
How Did You Score?
If graupel, firn, rime, sastrugi, and snow water equivalent all landed cleanly, you know winter past the pretty-flake stage. I will let you explain the forecast while I find the scraper.
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