snow
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snow,
precipitation formed by the sublimation of water vapor into solid crystals at temperatures below freezing. Sublimation resulting in the formation of snow takes place about a dust particle, as in the formation of raindrops. Snowflakes form symmetrical (hexagonal) crystals, sometimes matted together if they descend through air warmer than that of the cloud in which they originated. Apparently, no two snow crystals are alike; they differ from each other in size, lacy structure, and surface markings. Snowfall, reduced to its liquid equivalent, is usually included in statistics on rainfall; the factors determining snowfall are similar to those affecting rainfall. On an average, 10 in. (25 cm) of snow is equivalent to 1 in. (2.5 cm) of rain. In the United States the average snowfall is about 28 in. (71 cm) per winter; the record is 1,140 in. (2,896 cm) at Mt. Baker in Washington state during the snow season of 1998–99. Snow that piles up on slopes may suddenly slide downward in an avalancheavalanche,rapidly descending large mass of snow, ice, soil, rock, or mixtures of these materials, sliding or falling in response to the force of gravity. Avalanches, which are natural forms of erosion and often seasonal, are usually classified by their content such as a debris
..... Click the link for more information. . A glacier consists of ice that was formed from compacted snow. Snow serves as an insulating blanket, lessening to some extent the extremes of temperature fluctuation to which the soil is subjected, but it also brings about a rapid cooling of the overlying atmosphere, giving rise to polar air massesair mass,
large body of air within the earth's atmosphere in which temperature and humidity, although varying at different heights, remain similar throughout the body at any one height.
..... Click the link for more information. . Snow lessens loss of water by dormant plants. The sudden melting of snow is a primary cause of floods. Snow necessitates the building of snowsheds over rail lines and highways in certain mountain localities where a heavy fall is likely to impede travel; the use of snowplows to clear sidewalks, streets, and roads; the use of snow fences to prevent drifting over roads; and the use of skis, snowshoes, toboggans, snowmobiles, and sleds for travel. It is a primary factor in the location of winter sports centers and so has great economic value to certain areas. In some ski resorts machines are used to make artificial snow. As in the case of rainfall, snowfall has been produced artificially by introducing dry-ice pellets into supercooled clouds, that is, clouds containing unfrozen water droplets at temperatures below freezing.
Snow
frozen atmospheric precipitation falling from clouds in the form of flakes or ice crystals; the flakes or crystals are varied in shape but are basically hexagonal plates or hexahedral columns. The diameter of snowflakes varies from fractions of a millimeter to several millimeters. In calm weather at an atmospheric temperature of approximately 0°C, snowflakes may combine upon collision to form large flakes with diameters up to several centimeters. The average weight of individual snowflakes varies from 0.0001 g to 0.003 g; large snowflakes may weigh up to 0.2-0.5 g. At temperate and high latitudes, snow is the usual form of winter precipitation and forms a snow cover. The amount of fallen snow is measured with a precipitation gage. [23–1877–]
What does it mean when you dream about snow?
Because water is a natural symbol of emotional states, snow may indicate chilled and unexpressed emotions, either in the dreamer or in someone else. Naturally, a snowy landscape might simply be a part of the setting for dreamers living in the Snow Belt.