Comments on: Snow on Earth

Question: Snow on Earth

Caviar — Sun, 14 Nov 2004 19:16:10 -0800

At any given minute, is it always snowing somewhere on Earth, or are there times when there is no snow falling anywhere on the planet?

Does this answer differ with the time of year?

By: planetkyoto

planetkyoto — Sun, 14 Nov 2004 20:34:03 -0800

I think the permanent snow line in the Himalayas, for example, is around 5,700 meters, but I don't think there's any reason why it HAS to be snowing somewhere on Earth at all times, so I would say "no," but I'm not a climatologist.

By: kindall

kindall — Sun, 14 Nov 2004 22:47:30 -0800

The polar regions are pretty damn huge, and I'd be shocked if it weren't always snowing somewhere there.

By: dhartung

dhartung — Sun, 14 Nov 2004 23:30:49 -0800

I would say that there's about six months of the year surrounding both solstices equally where it's snowing somewhere. The rest of the year it's doubtful, although there are certainly areas where there is snow-type precipitation.

kindall: a common misperception, at least about Antarctica:

Sometimes people call Antarctica a frozen desert. It hasn't rained or snowed in some places here for over 100 years. Only 4% of Antarctica thaws out in the spring -- the rest stays permanently covered in ice.

Certainly even Alaska as far as Prudhoe has a summer -- temperatures reach 80°F. It's all about the angle of the sun (the inclination of the earth, doncha know).

By: samh23

samh23 — Mon, 15 Nov 2004 00:48:49 -0800

As someone who grew up in Minnesota, I can report that it can get too cold to snow. So, the more extreme polar regions probably don't see a whole lot of snow.