Figure 1 – Snow on the side of the barn, Christmas Day, Sudbury, MA. (c) DE Wolf 2017.

Figure 1 is another photograph that I took after the storm on Christmas.It struck me as a bit incongruous that the snow had stuck to the side of the barn, and I particularly liked the fingers of snow offset by the texture of the barn wood. 

Ultimately, this is I think, a wet snow phenomenon. If the ground and air temperature is below 32 deg. F you wind up with light powdery snow. On the other hand if it strikes a “warm” surface the snow partially melts. You have wet snow. You know, the stuff that snowmen are made of. Of course, you can still make snowballs out of powdery snow if you use warm hands and a lot of pressure. Pressure causes snow to melt, because water is denser than ice near 32 deg C. That is why you can skate on ice, but not say dry ice, which is carbon dioxide not water. But I digress. Here the warmth of the barn has melted the snow allowing it to stick to its outer surface. Of course, there is a limit to the weight that can be borne, before plob…

Ain’t physics wonderful? Damn straight it is.