Comments on: Snow obsessions

Snow obsessions

SealWyf — Tue, 26 Nov 2002 06:58:02 -0800

Wilson A. Bentley spent half a lifetime photographing snowflakes. The Smithsonian rejected his huge collection of photographs, on which his book was based. Now Buffalo, New York, a major snow capital, will feature Bentley's work in its "Winter Wonders" exhibit. More snowflakes can be seen on Cal Tech's snow crystals site (last cited in MeFi last January). Another city obsessed with snow is Asahikawa, Japan, home of the Austrian-inspired Snow Crystal Museum. The scientifically inclined may prefer this paper on the formation of ice-crystal patterns.

By: Fabulon7

Fabulon7 — Tue, 26 Nov 2002 07:41:09 -0800

There are some great pictures in there. I had no idea people grew their own snowflakes. (I like this one.)

By: Blake

Blake — Tue, 26 Nov 2002 07:43:22 -0800

Buffalo's Only Second in snowfall.

By: Kellydamnit

Kellydamnit — Tue, 26 Nov 2002 08:00:54 -0800

It's not that we get a lot of snow overall, it's that when we do get snow it tends to be heavy, fast, and deep. It's not uncommon to get a couple feet in one afternoon, actually. We've had maybe an inch or two so far, which has all melted. It'll continue like that for a while, snowing a tiny bit and melting away within a day or two, until snowfall hits that's too deep to melt in 24 hours.

By: KnitWit

KnitWit — Tue, 26 Nov 2002 08:06:27 -0800

Or you could go to the Snowflake Bentley Museum in Jericho Vermont. Very beautiful place and more beautiful surroundings

By: oflinkey

oflinkey — Tue, 26 Nov 2002 09:15:08 -0800

My favorite is when the Lake Effect makes the sky turn bright orange, and we get thunder and lightening as the snow comes down sideways in nearly-opaque sheets. Kellydamnit- where were you stuck two Thanksgivings ago?

By: oflinkey

oflinkey — Tue, 26 Nov 2002 09:15:54 -0800

Lightning.

By: Kellydamnit

Kellydamnit — Tue, 26 Nov 2002 09:48:20 -0800

Kellydamnit- where were you stuck two Thanksgivings ago? Fortunately I made it from school to my mother's house, where I was planning to go to do laundry anyways, so at least I had clothes. Last year at christmastime I was stuck in my apartment, but it was within walking distance of everything I could need, so I don't have many complaints there.

By: tragedy_and_comedy

tragedy_and_comedy — Tue, 26 Nov 2002 10:05:09 -0800

MIchigan's Upper Peninsula is a fun place for snow too. I just found out that the "Snow Capital of the Midwest" is about 75 miles from where I live. (link is touristy, but has an amusing write-up)

By: DevilsAdvocate

DevilsAdvocate — Tue, 26 Nov 2002 13:26:46 -0800

Did Bently conduct an exhaustive search to determine whether any two of the many snowflakes he photographed were alike?

By: me3dia

me3dia — Tue, 26 Nov 2002 14:33:55 -0800

A scientist has found at least one case of identical snowflakes -- they were Siamese Twins. More here.

By: hippugeek

hippugeek — Tue, 26 Nov 2002 19:53:14 -0800

Beautiful, fascinating stuff, SeaWyf. And Fabulon, your link is going to supply me with wallpaper well into the foreseeable future. Thanks.