taxonomies_of_snow past a thin dusting of powder that falls on a cold night. it shimmers in the sun like crushed crystals and creaks underfoot like loose floorboards in a haunted house. careful as it can be slick as ice in sunny, well-trod patches. 220215 ... past deep but light powder that falls when rain quickly turns to snow, skipping the intermediary heavy and sticky phases. good to walk on when compressed, but if cleared too soon leaves an icy layer just below the surface. not good for forts or snow people, but quite acceptable for snow angels. 220218 ... past middle density, neither heavy nor powder. it will form into a ball given enough pressure, but disintegrates mid air when thrown. the product of relatively consistent temperatures in the -10s. 220219 ... e_o_i Uncoordinated_snowstorm? though that's more about snow in motion. 220219 ... past snow definitely doesn't stay as it's fallen. windy days will lift the loose snow and distribute it in drifts, quickly filling any signs of previous passage beneath the shifting dunes. as the temperature rises powder becomes sticky and snowballs, fort, and people become potentialities again. of course a brief thaw followed by a freeze (especially but not always with freezing rain) creates a satisfyingly crunchy top layer that can hide deep powder below. 220221 ... past thick flakes blown in all directions (including up), polishing the thick layer of ice in to treacherous patches. however, as the snow continues to fall, it provides a new base on which to walk. thick enough to sit on boughs in a way that would appear magical before christmas (and even the way it moves in the wind is reminiscent of the_night_before_christmas). nonetheless it is too cold to be sticky and rests as a thick powder, an appropriate base layer for cross country skiing. 220225 ... past a lazy fall of medium flakes catching the last of the sun's rays against a pale blue sky. 220227 ... past a steady light fall all morning. enough to cover cars and other things left out, but not so much to fill in the tracks left by cross country skis or children playing vigorously in fields. a gentle wind, particularly off the river, has shifted the snow off the ice lawyer left from the last false_thaw so some tracks are filled but their slightly lighter shade of white shows the way. 220301 ... past a steady full of big, beautiful flakes that land fluffy on the ground and sit heavily on tree branches. the mild temperatures mean this snow is perfect for snowballs and snowmen. 220307 ... past a late winter oddity, the product of a number of false_thaws, fresh heavy snow, and wind. a thick layer lies in sheltered corners while in the open the snow cover is blown smooth to the ice beneath. the ice itself is a trick, having frozen over another layer of snow. this bottom layer has captured warmth from the last warm snap resulting in a wet, muddy base lying at the interface of frozen soil and frozen snow, treacherously awaiting anyone unlucky enough to break through all of the upper layers. 220308 ... past a light dusting as the temperatures jump from above seasonal to the lower reaches of "normal". this snow's effect is more related to the morale of the winter weary as it is too thin on the ground to be useful, and it likely won't last more than a few days. 220327 ... past a trace dusting. not enough to accumulate, however there's just barely enough falling in just barely enough wind from clouds just barely thin enough to let just barely enough sunshine through to make one worry for the safety of the sign crew directing traffic at the construction site. 220328 ... past you wouldn't be blamed for thinking it snowed overnight, but exercise caution: this is a layer of ice_pellets that partial melted before fusing into a slick sheet. 220331 ... past a springtime optical illusion. the air and sidewalks in some stretches seem a flurry of pink and white as blossoms are shaken loose in the wind and form temporary blizzards of soft colours. 220517 ... past a glimmer of magic floats through the air on the slow but steady downfall. this first snow of the year is wet and good for packing into snowballs, although the conditions are not quite ripe for rolling into bigger balls. upon opening the door, the laughter of children competes against the brushing of cars and scraping of shovels. 221116 ... past sharp pellets formed in near freezing conditions, picked up and spun into little knives by the wind. 221201 ... past wet, thick and heavy. the product of an extended period of time sitting right at the freezing point. because of its density and the volume, this is literally heart attack snow. people -- a few middle aged men with sedentary lifestyles -- are going to have heart attacks shovelling today. 221216 what's it to you? who go blather from