7 questions on snow

7 questions on snow

For some it's deep and crisp and even. For others, thin and slushy and dirty. Whichever type of snow, there's been a lot of it at home and abroad this winter. But how much do you know about the white stuff?

1.) Multiple Choice Question

The UK is in the grip of its longest cold snap for almost 30 years, but - as yet - it hasn't beaten the great white winter of 1962/63 when it snowed consecutively for how many days?

1. 52
   
2. 71
   
3. 101
   

2.) Multiple Choice Question

How many sides do most snowflakes have?

1. Four
   
2. Five
   
3. Six
   
4. Eight
   

3.) Multiple Choice Question

Which snowflake forms a pleasing blanket of powder snow, the best type for skiing?

1. Fern-like
   
2. Simple prism
   
3. Twelve-sided
   
4. Plate-like
   

4.) Multiple Choice Question

When driving on snow-covered or icy roads, which is the best way to avoid skidding?

1. Drive in a higher gear
   
2. Drive in a lower gear
   

5.) Multiple Choice Question

Sales of which product traditionally increase by 70% during snowy weather?

1. Hot chocolate
   
2. Cat litter
   
3. Carrots
   

6.) Multiple Choice Question

If the atmosphere gets colder, what happens to snowflakes?

1. Get smaller
   
2. Get bigger
   
3. Stay the same
   

7.) Multiple Choice Question

Which of the following is not a type of snow recognised by the Met Office?

1. Snow pellet
   
2. Diamond dust
   
3. White shot
   

Answers

1. It's 71 days, says the Met Office. It snowed somewhere in the UK every day from Boxing Day, 1962, until 6 March 1963.
2. It's six, as most snowflakes are hexagonal. Three or 12-sided snowflakes can also fall, says leading snow-crystal scientist, Kenneth Libbrecht. Snow can also fall as simple prisms, columns, bullet shapes and needles.
3. It's picture 1 - flakes known as stellar dendrites form the powder snow popular with skiers. The most detailed snowflake classification sytem was published by meteorologists C Magono and CW Lee in 1966, and included 80 types of snow.
4. Higher gears aid the tyres gripping when moving off on packed ice and snow, says the driving school BSM. It's a myth that staying in a lower gear is safer.
5. It's cat litter, used to grit paths and pavements. Sales of carrots rose by 60% and hot chocolate by 27% during last February's cold snap, says home-delivery service Ocado.
6. Snowflakes get smaller as the temperature drops, because they remain in a dry, powdery form. At higher temperatures, closer to 0C, they clump together to become larger and wetter - and make better snowballs.
7. It's "white shot", which doesn't exist. The other two are legitimate types of snow and recognised by the Met Office.

Your Score

0 - 3 : Snow bad

4 - 6 : A light dusting

7 - 7 : Snow good

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