Sunday, December 18, 2016

Cold Weather Fun!

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What can you do when it is –30’c with a –40’c windchill… you toss tea!    Why you ask, to make snow of coarse!   When you throw hot water into the air when it is very cold it turns instantly into snow!  If you try it with cold water on a cold day it will just stay water.   If you curious to the science behind it I found this great article which  explains it very well.

Mark Seeley, a climatologist at the University of Minnesota,  explains the phenomenon. He said:

"When it's cold outside, there's hardly any water vapor present in the air, whereas boiling water emits vapor very readily that's why it's steaming. When you throw the water up in the air, it breaks into much smaller droplets, so there's even more surface for water vapor to come off of.

"Now, cold air is very dense, and this makes its capacity to hold water vapor molecules very low. There's just fundamentally less space for the vapor molecules. So when you throw the boiling water up, suddenly the minus 22 air has more water vapor than it has room for. So the vapor precipitates out by clinging to microscopic particles in the air, such as sodium or calcium, and forming crystals. This is just what goes into the formation of snowflakes."

So being the science geeks that my husband and I are we had to try this.  It was also a great opportunity for me to take some cool pictures!

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You can also see we only have a few centimeters of snow on the ground too. This is not normal, we usually have a least a 30 cm by now. But this does make it easier to run around out on the ice though. 

We put white lights on one of our evergreens by the lake again this year and it really makes for a lovely display.

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15 comments:

  1. I'm happy it never gets that cold here, but if it did you can be sure I'd be out there playing at making snow! That looks like fun!!!
    The lit tree is beautiful!

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  2. magic photos! I'm dreaming of a white christmas here in the 'winterless north' of New Zealand! :-)

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  3. That is so cool! I'm going to have to try that during our next cold spell. Your white tree is beautiful!

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  4. Totally, Totally cool pics.............great photos! You captured everything!! Thanks for sharing
    your life on the lake. :-) :-)

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  5. That is SO cool!!! and your tree - oh wow!!!

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  6. It is just fascinating to see your post with such amazing photographs. Here in Liverpool, NW England we are sheltered by various hills and mountain ranges so we hardly ever experience severe weather. I have just been to visit my daughter and her family in Germany and it gets well below zero with lots of snow so I am going to tell her to try this piece os Nature's art whenever she can.
    Thanks so much for your interesting posts and for all your quilty inspiration through the year.
    Enjoy your holiday.
    Season's Joy from Jo x

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  7. Thanks for sharing these lovely pictures. You are an amazing photographer and quilter. Love your blog. Merryy christmas to you and your family.
    Greetings
    Karin
    Denmark

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  8. How awesome! It's warming up (40 degrees F) right now in Pendleton,OR so I won't be able to try making snow for a while. Love your photos and your quilting. Very inspirational.

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  9. Hele bijzondere foto's.
    Bij mij in Holland is het nooit zo koud.
    Mijn zoon vaart nu bij Summerside bij Prince Edward eiland, daar is het ook erg koud denk ik zo.
    Fijne kerstdagen en alle goeds in 2017.

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  10. Beautiful pictures and what fun!! I'd have to try that if it ever got cold enough here, too! Loved seeing your results. Merry Christmas!!

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  11. That looks amazing! Love your photos - they captured it wonderfully! You have a lot of tea to throw to make up the missing snow!

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  12. Spectacular photos, Kathy! I think it is simply too cold for snow at your house. :D But we have lots further south! Happy holidays!

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  13. BEAUTIFUL pictures! Where did you find the long string of lights for your tree and are they solar?

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  14. It's way past time to tell you how much I enjoy your blog. All your adventures, your surroundings, your quilts. I share a lot of it with my husband - the Churchill trip, the otters on the pier, the frozen tea. It's such a pleasure for me to spend a little time with you most days. Thank you!! Merry Christmas! And, Happy New Year!

    maggie

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