Winter
Winter is a season full of freezing temperatures and dangerous weather conditions yet it can be fun-filled for children to play in. Many people enjoy the snow-filled season, icy conditions, and days off from work or school but some dread having to deal with the freezing temperatures, wet roads and ice covered surfaces.
The earth goes through different stages within its rotation around the sun every 365 days. The climate and weather is affected by the side of the earth that is facing the sun. Think about when you are in the shade under a tree; its cooler and you aren’t getting as much sun, the temperature of the earth is also affected by the amount of sunlight it receives. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter months are normally late November through early March and in the Southern Hemisphere winter’s in the months of June, July and August. Earth is closest to the sun during the cold months for the North. Sunlight will strike the earth at an obtuse angle. Earth’s temperature depends on the angle the earth is rotating on which effects the angle of the sun‘s rays. At times, the angle of the sun’s rays skims the surface of our planet causing the sunlight to barely hit the earth. Temperatures will fall and the weather becomes colder. Due to the temperatures decreasing, the weather changes as well. There will be no more steaming hot temperatures and bikinis by the outdoor pool. Snow falls from the sky more than rain will during the winter months.
Snow is a type of precipitation within the atmosphere formed by water vapor in cold clouds that have condensed into ice crystals. These crystals attach to multiple ice crystals to form a snowflake. A snowflake eventually gets too heavy within the cloud and falls to the earth. The top of these clouds must be below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or zero degrees Celsius to form snowflakes. Snowflakes can come in many different sizes, shapes and textures; they fall from the full clouds in the form of a ball, start to melt, and then refreezes due to the cold climate. It will shape during the fall. The snow falls down from the sky during the winter months. If the ground is warm, the snowflake will melt, making everything cold and wet. If the ground is already chilled, the snowflake will be able to stick to the surfaces either making it difficult for people to get where they are heading, or make a snowy white scenery for people to enjoy. Even though there are negatives aspects to snow, people are able to get together and have snowball fights, forts and snowmen and have fun.
Winter weather can affect our lives in major ways. Temperatures decrease and snow or even freezing rain will fall down onto the Earth. Freezing rain is when rain forms in the clouds yet it doesn’t turn into snow. It will fall as freezing rain or sleet. This rain is considered the most deadly of winter storms. It occurs when precipitation falls from the clouds in a liquid form. The moisture will form as raindrops and will freeze as it hits almost any surface. Freezing rain can also happen if snow or rains fall through layers of warm air while traveling through the atmosphere. These layers are normally 2,000 or 3,000 feet above the sub-freezing layer. Once the moisture hits the frozen surface, it will freeze and form a glaze or coating over the area. It doesn’t matter if the rain hits the ground, a house, tree, car, sidewalk or anything else; it will freeze over. Drivers have to be extremely careful because of black ice or ice in general so they don’t become involved in accidents. Black ice is when there is ice on the roadways but the driver cannot see the ice because it is “black” or not visible to your eye. Drivers must be careful if they are ever caught in freezing rain.
There are many negatives about winter weather, but you have to think about the positives as well. Many people believe winter has many beautiful types of scenery with the snow, ice, and cold temperatures. Yes, it’s miserable to be in the cold while not prepared but is a special time of year for all. Enjoy it and soak up the cold weather.
The earth goes through different stages within its rotation around the sun every 365 days. The climate and weather is affected by the side of the earth that is facing the sun. Think about when you are in the shade under a tree; its cooler and you aren’t getting as much sun, the temperature of the earth is also affected by the amount of sunlight it receives. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter months are normally late November through early March and in the Southern Hemisphere winter’s in the months of June, July and August. Earth is closest to the sun during the cold months for the North. Sunlight will strike the earth at an obtuse angle. Earth’s temperature depends on the angle the earth is rotating on which effects the angle of the sun‘s rays. At times, the angle of the sun’s rays skims the surface of our planet causing the sunlight to barely hit the earth. Temperatures will fall and the weather becomes colder. Due to the temperatures decreasing, the weather changes as well. There will be no more steaming hot temperatures and bikinis by the outdoor pool. Snow falls from the sky more than rain will during the winter months.
Snow is a type of precipitation within the atmosphere formed by water vapor in cold clouds that have condensed into ice crystals. These crystals attach to multiple ice crystals to form a snowflake. A snowflake eventually gets too heavy within the cloud and falls to the earth. The top of these clouds must be below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or zero degrees Celsius to form snowflakes. Snowflakes can come in many different sizes, shapes and textures; they fall from the full clouds in the form of a ball, start to melt, and then refreezes due to the cold climate. It will shape during the fall. The snow falls down from the sky during the winter months. If the ground is warm, the snowflake will melt, making everything cold and wet. If the ground is already chilled, the snowflake will be able to stick to the surfaces either making it difficult for people to get where they are heading, or make a snowy white scenery for people to enjoy. Even though there are negatives aspects to snow, people are able to get together and have snowball fights, forts and snowmen and have fun.
Winter weather can affect our lives in major ways. Temperatures decrease and snow or even freezing rain will fall down onto the Earth. Freezing rain is when rain forms in the clouds yet it doesn’t turn into snow. It will fall as freezing rain or sleet. This rain is considered the most deadly of winter storms. It occurs when precipitation falls from the clouds in a liquid form. The moisture will form as raindrops and will freeze as it hits almost any surface. Freezing rain can also happen if snow or rains fall through layers of warm air while traveling through the atmosphere. These layers are normally 2,000 or 3,000 feet above the sub-freezing layer. Once the moisture hits the frozen surface, it will freeze and form a glaze or coating over the area. It doesn’t matter if the rain hits the ground, a house, tree, car, sidewalk or anything else; it will freeze over. Drivers have to be extremely careful because of black ice or ice in general so they don’t become involved in accidents. Black ice is when there is ice on the roadways but the driver cannot see the ice because it is “black” or not visible to your eye. Drivers must be careful if they are ever caught in freezing rain.
There are many negatives about winter weather, but you have to think about the positives as well. Many people believe winter has many beautiful types of scenery with the snow, ice, and cold temperatures. Yes, it’s miserable to be in the cold while not prepared but is a special time of year for all. Enjoy it and soak up the cold weather.
Cited Sources:
Hewitt, Kristen. "What Is Snow? Farmers' Almanac." Farmers' Almanac - Weather, Gardening, Best Days, Full Moons. Almanac Publishing Co., 31 Oct. 2006. Web. 10 Sept. 2010. <http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather/2006/10/31/what-is-snow/>.
Oblack, Rachel. "Freezing Rain - What Is Freezing Rain? - Ice Storms, Sleet, and Snow - Frozen Precipitation." Weather Articles - Weather Forecasts and News - Weather Science. The New York Times Company, 2010. Web. 10 Sept. 2010. <http://weather.about.com/od/winterweather/f/FreezingRain.htm>.
"What Causes Freezing Rain?" Weather Questions and Answers. WeatherStreet, 2007. Web. 11 Sept. 2010. <http://www.weatherquestions.com/What_causes_freezing_rain.htm>.Williams, Jack. "USATODAY.com." News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com. Gannett Co. Inc, 2010. Web. 22 Sept. 2010. http://www.usatoday.com/weather/tg/wicetop/wicetop.htm>.
"What Causes Freezing Rain?" Weather Questions and Answers. WeatherStreet, 2007. Web. 11 Sept. 2010. <http://www.weatherquestions.com/What_causes_freezing_rain.htm>.Williams, Jack. "USATODAY.com." News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com. Gannett Co. Inc, 2010. Web. 22 Sept. 2010. http://www.usatoday.com/weather/tg/wicetop/wicetop.htm>.
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