Interesting Facts and the Science Behind Snow

1. The world’s largest snowflake: It was reported to be 15 inches across and 8 inches thick. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this beast of a snowflake was found at Fort Keogh, Montana on January 28, 1887.

 Disclaimer: Not the largest snowflake in the world, but it sure is pretty!

2. Snow is not white: It is actually clear and colorless. As the National Snow and Ice Data Center so eloquently put it,

“The complex structure of snow crystals results in countless tiny surfaces from which visible light is efficiently reflected. What little sunlight is absorbed by snow is absorbed uniformly over the wavelengths of visible light thus giving snow its white appearance.”

3. World record snowfall: Mt. Baker ski area in Washington State has the world record for snowfall at 1,140 inches of snow in the 1998/1999 winter season.

You could've leaped out of an airplane and landed unharmed! Don't try that at home... 

4. Six sides or bust: All snowflakes must have 6 sides otherwise they are not considered snowflakes. In a nutshell,

"The laws of electronegativity and molecular bonding between oxygen and hydrogen atoms dictate that the formation of positive and negative dipoles causes H2O to have a V-shape. Intermolecular forces between the oppositely charged ends of different particles cause them to join together in a very specific three-dimensional pattern with a six-sided symmetry."