Strange natural phenomenon observed in Iowa

Well, we missed the ice storms that hit a few other Sciencebloggers, but we did get a bit of this:












My kids, of course, were clamoring to play in it this morning as I rudely shipped them off to school (the nerve!); meanwhile, I'm realizing I don't even have snowpants and boots that fit them this year, and I haven't thought about it because this is the first snowfall that's been more than a dusting (and even this is only a few inches). Maybe tonight we'll make the tiniest snowman ever.

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What's really interesting, is that your kids HAVE school today! My kid doesn't, and the older kids university's are closed or have a half day... What's up with IOWA!?

Yea, we got some of that here in Minnesota, too. What is that? If you warm some of it up is seems to be mostly water. Maybe water is one of those phase-change things...

I wonder what we can do with it? Get some boards and slide around on it maybe, for sport? Who knows what the possibilities might be?

But of course, this is probably the only time we'll ever see any of this stuff...

Here on the central coast of California, even a dusting of snow on the highest coast ranges is an "event". And I for one like it that way.

With regards to clamoring kids and tiny snowmen, my 2 year-old nephew recently visited Yosemite National Park and fell in LOVE with snow, according to his parents. Since he returned, he's been making "snowmen" out of grass clippings, piles of woodchips... :)

Snow's been weird, hasn't it? It seems like the worse storms are farther south...we haven't gotten much of anything up here in the cold upper Midwest.

By anonimouse (not verified) on 22 Jan 2007 #permalink