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Monthly Archives: February 2019
Why is ice different colors?
Some ice is called “black ice,” which refers to one of two conditions: A new layer of clear ice on water, which appears dark in color because the ice is transparent and so we see the deep water below; or a layer of clear ice on a roadway, which makes for hazardous driving conditions.
In both of these cases, the ice is not actually black but is transparent and therefore shows the color of the underlying surface. Continue reading
Is there energy in snow?
Since the beginning of this year, Madison and Dane County have received about 35 inches of snow.
Snow is a form of solid water and water is the only substance that occurs naturally in all three phases — solid, liquid and invisible gas — in the Earth’s atmosphere. Of course, that means that the 35 inches of snow began as the equivalent amount of water in the invisible vapor (gas) phase before it was transformed into solid water. Continue reading
What makes loud noises on very cold days?
Thursday night and Friday morning, several people reported hearing loud noises, thinking something fell on their house or gunshots were fired.
These sounds result from what are called frost quakes or ice quakes. They occur when a rapid drop in temperature leads to a quick freeze. Continue reading
How good are the groundhog predictions?
The predictions made by this folk forecast are correct only about 40 percent of the time — vastly inferior to what is delivered by modern science. If you flip a coin, you’ll be right close to 50 percent of the time.
This year’s prediction by the furry animal is for an early spring. As for a more scientific approach, temperatures over the next six weeks look about average. Continue reading
