The Mailbox is located in North Carolina. Thus, this past weekend, we were assaulted by Winter Storm Jonas. (Since when have they started naming winter storms? I remember oodles of storms in Michigan when I was a kid and none of them had names.) We ended up with around four to five inches of sleet, which is pretty significant for North Carolina since we don’t have a bunch of plows or salt trucks. However, to the north of us, people are buried under piles of snow. So let’s highlight some interesting snowy facts. (These would be fun to share with your students!)
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A large snowstorm isn’t necessarily a blizzard. To be a blizzard, the storm has to have a certain set of characteristics. Snowfall has to reduce visibility to at least 0.25 miles for three hours or more, plus wind speed needs to be at least 35 miles per hour. Brrrr!
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Each snowflake consists of approximately 200 ice crystals. Nature is amazing!
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Cakes, cookies, and candy are the most popular foods bought directly before a snowstorm. I thought it was milk, bread, and eggs, but apparently I’m mistaken.
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Stampede Pass in Washington state gets an average of 430 inches of snow every year, making it the snowiest location in the US. Do you want to build a snowman?
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In Nova Scotia in 2011, people set a record for the most snow angels made at the same time—22,022 residents all simultaneously flopped in the snow to make them. I love to picture this.
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How tall was the largest snowman ever built? 122 feet. The record was set in Maine in 2008. That must have had a serious carrot nose.
Are you having a snow day right now? How much snow do you have?
none here in lower Michigan. In fact it rained last night and temps are in the high 30.
I’m in NC too, and no school for kiddos today. Teachers are on a delay, but I braved the elements and made it to work. Love the interesting snowy facts!
We only got about 3 inches in my part os Massachusetts School going on roads cleared sun night for mon morn
No snow in South Texas! 😉
I remember the snow days we had in Missouri when I was growing up, though. Lots of fun. It was great to build snowmen and go sledding. I miss those days.