Snow and Ice Facts

• The largest piece of ice to fall to earth was an ice block 6 meters (20 ft) across that fell in Scotland on 13 August 1849.
• The largest hailstone recorded fell on 14 April 1986 in Bangladesh weighing 1kg (2.25lbs). The hailstorm reportedly killed 92 people.
• The largest snowflakes in the world fell across Fort Keogh in Montana (USA) on 28 January 1887.
• Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the only permanent snowcap within sight of the equator.
• Permanent snow and ice cover about 12% (21 million square km's) of the Earth's land surface. 80% of the world's fresh water is locked up as ice or snow.
• A single snowstorm can drop 40 million tons of snow, carrying the energy equivalent to 120 atom bombs.
• There is NOT a law of nature that prohibits 2 snowflakes from being identical.
• Denver CO received 9.6 inches of snow. October of that year proved to be the coldest and snowiest of record for Denver, with a total snowfall for the month of 31.2 inches.
• Light snow falls in Canberra during most years, but it rarely accumulates to more than a few centimeters.
• In Australia, snowfalls are common above 1,500m in the Alps during the winter, but there are no permanent snowfields anywhere on the continent.
• Denver CO was buried under 21.3 inches of snow, 19.4 inches of which fell in 24 hours. The heavy wet snow snapped trees and wires causing seven million dollars damage.
• Parts of Michigan and Wisconsin experienced their first freeze of the autumn. Snow and sleet were reported in the Sheffield and Sutton areas of northeastern Vermont at midday.
• The most snow produced in a single snowstorm is 4.8 meters (15.75ft) at Mt Shasta Ski Bowl, California (USA) between 13 and 19 February 1959.