Is snow white? And more facts about snow

NEW YORK (PIX11) – New York City could be covered in a white blanket thanks to a winter storm making its way to the tri-state area, according to the National Weather Service. 

But did you know snow isn’t white?  

Here are some other snow facts and answers to questions you might have always wondered about.  

What color is snow? 

Although commonly described as white, snow is translucent. The reason we see white is because the ice crystals reflect light.  

According to a study by the Center for Science Education, snow can also look blue or purple, or even pink depending on how the sunlight hits it and whether it is in a shadow. 

How does it snow?  

Snow is formed in the clouds.  

For it to snow, there needs to be enough water or moisture within the cloud. If the temperature is cold enough, the water vapor freezes into ice crystals. For ice crystals to form, the temperature must reach 32 degrees or lower.

These ice crystals can stay up in the clouds or, if they become heavy enough, they can fall to the ground. As they fall, they can clump together with other ice crystals to form snowflakes which, when clumped together, form snow, according to Britannica.  

Are snowflakes all different? 

There is a saying that no two snowflakes are alike; but is this true? 

According to the Library of Congress and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the chances of any two snowflakes having the same pattern are highly unlikely.  

Although snowflakes are all the same in that they are composed of hydrogen and oxygen atoms, it is almost impossible for two snowflakes to form the same designs in the same way. 

This is because individual snowflakes all follow different paths from the sky to the ground, and temperature patterns are different all around the world. Thus, water is encountering different weather conditions.  

Scientists have concluded that snowflake possibilities are theoretically infinite. There are, however, many different categories of snowflakes. 

Can you eat snow? 

The short answer is yes, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.  

The fresher the snowfall, the safer it is to consume. However, pollution is one thing to consider if you are going to eat snow, according to the center. Never eat plowed snow, which contains snow, dirt, and chemicals like magnesium chloride to treat slick roads. 

Does it snow in the desert?  

Snow in a warm climate is almost unheard of, but not impossible. Snow has been recorded in the Sonoran Desert, which covers more than 250,000 square kilometers (96,525 square miles) in the United States and Mexico. 

Snow has even been recorded in Miami and Key West, Florida.