The Shapes of Snowflakes
Love it or hate it, for most of us, winter means lots of the white stuff, and with Punxsutawney Phil predicting six more weeks of winter for us this morning, we might be in for more of it. It’s well known that no two snowflakes are ever identical, but did you know that snow came in so many shapes and sizes? Today’s infographic from Compound Interest runs through all the different varieties and shapes of snowflakes. Get your shovels ready!. [VIA]
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Tags: chemistry, infographic, meteorology, reference, science, snow, snowflakes, weather
Daily Photo — “Storm Cloud over Sunshine Coast, Australia”
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Tags: analysis, Australia, clouds, meterology, nature, photos, science, storms, Sunshine Coast, warm-ups, weather, writing
Daily Photo — “Hole Punch Cloud Over Portland”
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“A fallstreak hole, also known as a hole punch cloud, punch hole cloud, skypunch, canal cloud or cloud hole, is a large circular or elliptical gap, that can appear in cirrocumulus or altocumulus clouds. Such holes are formed when the water temperature in the clouds is below freezing but the water has not frozen yet due to the lack of ice nucleation particles (see supercooled water).” (Wikipedia)
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Tags: analysis, clouds, meterology, nature, photos, science, warm-ups, weather, weather phenomena, writing
Daily Photo — “Lightning Strike, Kim, Colorado”
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Tags: art, Colorado, lightning, nature, photos, storms, warm-ups, weather, writing
Daily Photo — “Asperatus formation, Canterbury, New Zealand”
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From Matador: “This [cloud formation is] so rare it doesn’t even have official classification. “Undulatus asperatus” is its proposed designation, and if accepted as a new form by meteorologists, it’ll be the first such addition since 1951.

Tags: art, clouds, nature, photos, weather
Daily Photo — “Abandoned Six Flags New Orleans”
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In August 2005, as Hurricane Katrina was churning in the Gulf of Mexico with its sights set on New Orleans, the staff of Six Flags battened down the hatches and left to ride out the storm. The devastation wrought by this storm is infamous, and many areas on the gulf coast were completely destroyed. Today, the Six Flags amusement park, once a place of great joy and excitement lies in ruin, a victim of the destructive forces of nature.

Tags: abandoned, Katrina, nature, New Orleans, photos, warm-ups, weather, writing