Here are some random winter-related facts for you.
1. Traditionally, it’s been estimated that one inch of rain equals 10 inches of snow. That’s known as the 10-to-1 snow ratio. But in reality, it could be anywhere from 6-to-1 up to 18-to-1, depending on atmospheric conditions.
2. If you’ve ever heard the rumble of thunder in the middle of a snowstorm, that’s not your ears playing tricks on you. It’s likely “thundersnow,” a very rare winter weather phenomenon that’s most common near lakes.
(Here are some amusing videos of legendary Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore FREAKING OUT over THUNDERSNOW.)
3. Most snowflakes fall within the range of one to six feet per second.
4. More than 22 million tons of salt are used on U.S. roads each winter, (although somehow NEVER on the roads outside your home, right?) That’s enough to fill a line of dump trucks extending 8,333 miles.
5. When meteorologists report the “real feel” of a frigid temperature outside, it may sound like they’re coming up with that number on the spot.
But wind-chill is actually calculated using a very complicated equation, which combines temperature and wind speed. (It’s so involved that most people use calculators like this.)
(Precip / Wikipedia / ThoughtCo / UVM / Mental Floss)
