Fuerteventura: Snow

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For sure, it will never snow in Fuerteventura - certainly not when our climate is said to be heating up – but that doesn’t mean we should be ignorant about what snow really is. Oh, you think it’s just frozen water, but hey there is more to it…

The story starts with a cloud that contains tiny little droplets of water. When the temperature in the cloud drops below zero, those little droplets start to freeze and form crystals.

The crystal is formed around a very tiny dust particle like smoke or ashes. These crystals can take different forms like stars, needles, flower shapes, etc but they always have 6 corners (scientists call this a hexagonal form). The crystals can grow as more water droplets attach themselves to the crystal during the freezing process. Once the crystals are heavy enough, they will fall out of the cloud. During this fall, many tiny crystals get together and form the snow flakes which cover the ground and whiten it when the temperature is low enough.

Did you know that when there is a thick layer of snow, it is a lot quieter than usual? This is because the sharp and loud noises are being dampened by the snow layer. The snow and the air that is trapped inside the snow absorb the vibrations. Even your footsteps sound different when walking in the snow. When it freezes more than 12ºC below zero, the snow will start to “crack” under your feet.

 

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