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Freezing rain and sleet can both have scary effects on driving conditions. Both types of precipitation occur when rain formed in warm air in the sky passes through a layer of cold air near the ground. Thicker layers of cold air create sleet, a slushy form of water that's semi-frozen. Thinner layers don’t give rain enough time to freeze until it hits the ground. It then forms a thin coat of ice wherever it lands.
Wind chill is calculated using a complicated equation combining temperature and wind speed. If you're into math, and would like to test it at home, the formula reads: Wind Chill = 35.74 + 0.6215T – 35.75(V^0.16) + 0.4275T(V^0.16).
Reindeer that live above the Arctic Circle live in total darkness for weeks at a time. Therefore, they've adapted to their environment. A small area of tissue behind their retina changes color from gold in the summer to blue in the winter. This allows them to detect ultraviolet light and to see in the dark.
Snow is usually hauled away to parking lots or other open spaces, where it can sit until the weather warms up. But during particularly snowy seasons, cities are sometimes forced to dump snow in the ocean. Some cities employ snow melters that use hot water to melt 30 to 50 tons of snow an hour.
The lowest natural temperature ever recorded at ground level on Earth is −128.6 °F (−89.2 °C) on July 21, 1983, at the Russian operated Vostok station on Antarctica. Now that's cold!
Sources: (Mental Floss) (Best Life)
See also: Warming foods you should eat this winter
Winter is a time of shorter days and colder temperatures. But there's so much more to the chilliest season of the year! For instance, do you know which kind of snow is best for making a snowman? And have you heard about colored snow? What about the fact that reindeer see in the dark?
For these and more cool facts, click on for some trivia to bring you a smile on a cold, wintry day. Just don't forget to bundle up—these facts are mega cool!
In 1887, a ranch owner in Fort Keogh, Montana, allegedly found the largest snowflake ever recorded, which measured 15 inches (38 cm) wide and 8 inches (16 cm) thick.
On February 17, 2007, 8,962 angel-makers in Bismarck, North Dakota, took this classic winter activity to a whole new level, setting the record for the most people making snow angels simultaneously.
Snowflakes are made of water, and water molecules bond together in certain ways, usually with six sides.
Some snowflakes appear to zoom down from the sky with the power of blizzard-force wind, while others seem to float down like a feather. However, about 95% of snowflakes fall at speeds that are between one and six feet per second.
Craving more hearty meals during colder months? That's because your body needs to work harder to keep your temperature at a comfortable level, which requires more energy to burn. To supply that extra energy, your body needs more calories, which means an increase in your appetite.
While some people prefer sunny summer days, the cozy aspects of autumn, or the beautiful bloom of spring, others say winter is their favorite season. Overall, Westerners are most likely to love winter, with 14% preferring the coldest season of all.
Believe it or not, there are actually plenty of flowers that bloom in winter. These include winter pansies, Lenten roses (which are also known as Christmas roses), winter aconite, and snowdrops.
To put it another way, that's 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 snowflakes or a trillion trillion.
While the tallest trilithon at the monument is no longer standing, the Sun would have set between the narrow gap of these uprights during the winter solstice.
For most places, it's common practice to use salt on roads and sidewalks in order to melt slippery and potentially dangerous ice. But salt can actually be harmful to the environment. So, in an effort to be more eco-friendly, some cities are using these alternative methods to melt ice.
Snow usually appears white because each snowflake has many light-reflective surfaces, but technically it's completely colorless. Despite that fact, tiny particles of dust or algae can make snow appear to be a range of different rainbow-like colors.
If you're looking for a memorable winter getaway, consider booking a trip to Finland's Igloo Village Kakslauttanen. And if you're lucky, you may catch the Northern Lights in the night sky above.
Thundersnow is a rare weather phenomenon that refers to a snowstorm with both thunder and lightning. For this to occur, the air layer closer to the ground has to be warmer than the layers above, but still cold enough to create snow.
There is dry snow (0% water), moist snow (less than 3%), wet snow (between 3% and 8%), very wet snow (between 8% and 15%), and, finally, slush, or snow that is 15% water.
Physics confirms what you’ve likely known since childhood. Snow on the wet or moist side is best for building your snowman.
Wind can push snow across the ground, gathering it into a hollow cylinder, and creating self-forming snowballs.
Most snowflakes range from dime size to the diameter of a human hair. However, there have been some accounts that they can grow much larger.
Weather records in Rapid City, South Dakota, show just how dramatically temperatures can drop. November 10, 1911, started out at a pleasant 55°F (12°C) at 6 am, then a freezing front brought the temperature down to 3°F (-16°C) by 8 am.
Aomori City in northern Japan receives more snowfall than any major city on the planet. Each year, they get around 26 feet (seven meters) of snow.
You wouldn’t be shocked to see snow on the ground in Siberia or in Greenland. But northern areas don't have a monopoly on snowfall. Actually, snow has been known to touch down everywhere, from the Sahara Desert (pictured) to Hawaii.
Earth's orbit is elliptical, or slightly oval-shaped. This means there is one point in the orbit where Earth is closest to the Sun, and another where Earth is farthest from the Sun. In the Northern Hemisphere, the closest point occurs in early January, and the far point happens in early July.
According to research published in the Journal of Affective Disorder, people born during the spring and summer months tend to have "excessively positive temperaments," but they're "more likely to experience rapid shifts in mood." On the other hand, those born during winter are "less likely to have irritable temperaments."
Many animals tuck away food for the winter, including red squirrels, who, along with storing seeds and nuts, dry out mushrooms in trees to enjoy when the temperature drops.
Since 1924, some of the best athletes in the world come together every four years to compete in the Olympic Winter Games. The first competition was held in Chamonix. There were a total of 14 events across six different sports, including ski jumping and bobsledding.
Cool facts you didn't know about winter
Here's some interesting winter trivia!
LIFESTYLE Curiosities
Winter is a time of shorter days and colder temperatures. But there's so much more to the chilliest season of the year! For instance, do you know which kind of snow is best for making a snowman? And have you heard about colored snow? What about the fact that reindeer see in the dark?
For these and more cool facts, click on for some trivia to bring you a smile on a cold, wintry day. Just don't forget to bundle up—these facts are mega cool!