Many of us had seen it, or maybe had a friend say it snowed today. In fact I met my son at his basketball program and told him snow hit my windshield, but without proof, it was just a story. Or was it?  I am as big of a snow lover as anyone. So the first flakes of the season are exciting, even without stickage. What makes me even happier is being able to share it with you while testing the age old theory that the best videos are with kids and animals. So now I ask you, which one is cuter? Check out the two choice below:

The dog

At 4:30 PM on Sunday October 18, an unseasonably cold air mass brought snow to Hampstead in Carroll Co MD.  Axel the dog seen here is a 10 month old German Shepard helps to show the first flakes on his back, and seems happy about it. All 92 lbs of him that loved last winter’s snow as a pup. You can hear his person-Dawn Marie Taylor say it is not her imagination. No- not at all!


 

The boy

Dot Henrich’s son helped prove commentary of the little snowballs that fell today. The National Weather Service describe hail falling in Maryland, but this looks more like graupel. Those are snowflakes that are partially melted than refrozen. And yes, for the record it can snow with temperatures in the mid to upper 40s.

If you heard the snow ‘ping’, it might have been sleet or possibly small hail. The dynamics are different though. Sleet is precipitin that usually forms as rain or snow, melts within the cloud, and then refreezes on the way down. Hail on the other hand needs rising air to take water droplets higher to freeze, then fall. Often multiple trips up and down add more layers to build up the hailstone larger.

So, which one is cuter? Check back to my Facebook or Twitter feed for this post and chime in your pick.

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Chip KidWxDevicesGet the award winning Kid Weather App I made with my oldest son and support our love for science, weather, and technology. Our 3 year anniversary of the release and our contribution to STEM education is this November. It has been downloaded in 60 countries, and works in both temperature scales. With your support we can expand on the fun introduction to science and real weather.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]