Snow and Ice Facts

The average snowflake has a top speed of 1.7 metres per second.

For it to snow the tops of the clouds must be below 0 degrees Celsius, or 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

The largest piece of ice to fall to earth was an ice block 6 meters (20 ft) across that fell in Scotland on 13 August 1849.

The largest hailstone recorded fell on 14 April 1986 in Bangladesh weighing 1kg (2.25lbs). The hailstorm reportedly killed 92 people.

The largest snowflakes in the world fell across Fort Keogh in Montana (USA) on 28 January 1887.

Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the only permanent snowcap within sight of the equator.

Permanent snow and ice cover about 12% (21 million square km's) of the Earth's land surface. 80% of the world's fresh water is locked up as ice or snow.

A single snowstorm can drop 40 million tons of snow, carrying the energy equivalent to 120 atom bombs.

There is NOT a law of nature that prohibits 2 snowflakes from being identical.

Denver CO received 9.6 inches of snow. October of that year proved to be the coldest and snowiest of record for Denver, with a total snowfall for the month of 31.2 inches.

Light snow falls in Canberra during most years, but it rarely accumulates to more than a few centimeters.

In Australia, snowfalls are common above 1,500m in the Alps during the winter, but there are no permanent snowfields anywhere on the continent.

Denver CO was buried under 21.3 inches of snow, 19.4 inches of which fell in 24 hours. The heavy wet snow snapped trees and wires causing seven million dollars damage.

Parts of Michigan and Wisconsin experienced their first freeze of the autumn. Snow and sleet were reported in the Sheffield and Sutton areas of northeastern Vermont at midday.

The most snow produced in a single snowstorm is 4.8 meters (15.75ft) at Mt Shasta Ski Bowl, California (USA) between 13 and 19 February 1959.