Something Unusual Is Happening

Good morning. Please have a seat. I’m going to tell you something that may shock or alarm you, so I’d like you to take a deep breath and be very still. Would you like a glass of water? Okay, good. Now, listen: There’s no easy way to say this. I had hoped that we would never need to have this kind of conversation. But life is unpredictable, and sometimes events outside of our control make it necessary to discuss the difficult issues, improbable though they might see. But I can tell you’re becoming impatient. “Get on with it,” your eyes implore. Very well, then. Right now? Outside? It’s… God, this is so hard to actually say out loud. Okay, focus, Alex. [Clears throat.] OKAY. At this very moment, outside, snow is falling from the sky. Yes, snow. I can see you are unsure, so let me help you.

Snow is a type of precipitation within the Earth’s atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by external pressure. Snowflakes come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Types which fall in the form of a ball due to melting and refreezing, rather than a flake, are known as graupel, with ice pellets and snow grains as examples of graupel. Snowfall amount and its related liquid equivalent precipitation amount are determined using a variety of different rain gauges.

You’re right, it does seem like something out of science fiction. I don’t know what to tell you. I am not sure how long we will have to deal with this “snow,” but there’s nothing we can do about it now but pull together and somehow muddle through. From what the authorities tell me, this strange material will be dropping to the ground until 3PM today. I know we’ve never seen anything like this before, but we need to stay strong. I’m sure if we make it through this “snowfall,” it will never happen again. Good luck, everybody, and may God have mercy on our souls.

Photo by David Pierce, from Flickr.