Well it’s now 2010 and mum says that you lot have been having loads of snow.
We’re used to loads of snow up here in the Arctic, but mum says that everything ground to a halt in the UK.
I guess if you’re not used to it, it can be a bit scary and because of climate change you’ve not had much snow in the UK for a long, long time, have you? Don't get us wrong, it can be difficult for us too, sometimes.
Seeing as you’ve got so much of it at the moment we thought we’d share a few facts with you.
1. It is NEVER too cold to snow – that is a big myth – it can snow even at incredibly cold temperatures as long as there is some source of moisture and some way to lift or cool the air. It is true, however, that most heavy snowfalls occur with relatively warm air temperatures near the ground—typically -9 degrees Celsius and warmer— because air can hold more water vapour at warmer temperatures and it won’t snow if there isn’t any water vapour.
2. Single snowflakes are quite tiny but as they fall they connect to make bigger snowflakes.
3. Snow at the North and South Pole reflect heat into space!! That happens because the ice acts like a mirror with the heat of the sun, and the heat bounces off the ice and into space.
4. The average snowflake has a top falling speed of 1.7 metres per second.
5. Snowflakes are always hexagonal but the majority are not perfectly symmetrical - uneven temperatures, dirt and other factors usually cause them to be lopsided.
6. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest snowflake on record measured 38cm wide and 20cm thick. It was observed in Montana, USA in 1887 and described by witnesses as "larger than a milk pan".
7. It is a myth that Eskimos have 100 different words for 'snow'.
8. Chionophobia is a fear of snow.
9. The world's largest snowman was actually a snowwoman. Residents of Bethel, Maine in the US built the 122 ft giant in 2008, giving her 30 ft spruce trees for arms and skis for eyelashes.
10. Around 12 per cent of the Earth's land surface is covered in permanent snow and ice.
Right, we’re off to play in the snow, it’s what we do every day. We don’t slip and slide because we have furry feet and we walk on all fours. It’s much easier when you have four feet to steady yourself.
See you next week.
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