Do you have an Explanation??

[Vernon Holt]

Those living in Gilmer County awoke Sunday morning and found the ground covered lightly with snow.

By noon the snow was all gone even though the temperature was in the low 20's.

Obviously, melting snow is expected to disappear. By what process will snow disappear when the temp is in the low 20's??

Let's hear from you.

Vernon

 

[QuakerBoy]

Evaporation.

The air is often very dry when the temps drop that low

 

[Duff]

suppose it would be the ground temp was above freezing temp??????

 

[Hambone]

Well, my first guess is the ground temp. According to the UGA weather station, it would've been close yesterday.

http://www.griffin.uga.edu/aemn/cgi-bin/AEMN.pl?site=GAEL&report=4

 

[Vernon Holt]

An Explanation

RPaul11: Could you further explain your response? Snow is a solid at below freezing temperature, as well as are rocks, wood, metals, etc.

What is the process by which snow as a solid could possibly evaporate from the solid state??

Vernon

 

[dbone]

The ground and air may have been cold but the sunlight never is !!

 

[BROWNING7WSM]

I would say sunlight.. I know from past snows that the snow always last longer in the shady parts of the yard...

 

[QuakerBoy]

RPaul11: Could you further explain your response? Snow is a solid at below freezing temperature, as well as are rocks, wood, metals, etc.

What is the process by which snow as a solid could possibly evaporate from the solid state??

Vernon

here's the explaination.....had to do a little searching

It also is possible for snow to evaporate without melting. This process is called sublimation or simply put, changing water from a solid directly to vapor.

Remember, it is the uniqueness of water molecules that that allow it to jump from one state to another without needing to go through all three states (vapor-liquid- and solid).

I guess evaporation is not the correct term

 

[leadoff]

Is the ground around the area yellow?

Could this be one of those trick questions? Is it possible that the wind blew the snow away? :

If that is not the case, I will go with ground temperature.

 

[Al33]

I suspect the wind would be the primary reason, not blowing it away, but vaporizing it.

Al

 

[Jody Hawk]

I'm with Browning. The sun must have something to do with it. :

 

[Hoss]

Rpaul should be our resident expert

He lives up there where they get that stuff.

I go with his answer also. The process is called sublimation and is the process of a solid changing to a vapor without passing through a liquid stage. A little research has shown that the reverse process vapor to solid is also called sublimation. It is the process by which frost and snowflakes are formed.

Good question Vernon.

Hoss

 

[Timberman]

The air that came into the area after the snowfall was so very dry that the snow simply dried up and was gone. Just like rain and wet ground. Snow is only frozen water. Rpaul nailed it.

That's my story and I'm stickin to it...

 

[Vernon Holt]

An Explanation

Thought provoking wasn't it??

Logical answers all. I presume all will agreee that RPaul11 finally nailed it on his second try. Congrats RPaul.

Vernon

 

[DSGB]

There was corn under the snow? How else do the deer get to it?

 

[burnbulldawg]

the best example of sublimation that I can think of is dry ice (a.k.a. frozen CO2). You can buy this stuff at Publix.

 

[QuakerBoy]

the best example of sublimation that I can think of is dry ice (a.k.a. frozen CO2). You can buy this stuff at Publix.

great example.....

only a yankee would really understand it happenin with snow

 

[TurkeyProof]

sublimation

The ground should have been wet if the snow melted. Unless the moisture from the snow on the ground froze again. I'm not sure we know if the ground was wet.
However if sublimation is the correct answer to this question, what was the rate and energy source ? I think the increased rate of sublimation would be directly prepositional to an increasing energy source. The tempature never got to or above 32.
Do we know if the ground was ever wet that day?

 

[QuakerBoy]

obviously this does not pertain to the ground that day as I was kinda far awya to tell.

But, there are times we get a few inches of snow. It is very cold.....has been cold...and the temps never go above freezing but the snow is gone.

I can't answer your questions precisely...but this does happen and is not an unusual occurance.

 

[Vernon Holt]

Do You Have an Explanation??

Do we know if the ground was ever wet that day? [/QUOTE]
Turkeyproof: The ground had been wet, but was no longer wet.
the leaf layer, the semi-decayed layer, and the top layer of the soil (A-1 horizon) were frozen at that time. The temps were in the lower 20's and had even been colder the night before.

The snow was gone well before the top layer of the soil had thawed.

The sun was shining brightly on this day.

Vernon