Temperatures throughout the world ranged from -65 degrees Fahrenheit in Alaska to 105 degrees in Sydney, Australia this week. Rain and high winds lashed Washington state as cold temperatures and snow blanketed Europe. The Sacramento Bee has assembled a collection of 22 extreme weather photos from around the world.
In this photo, a canopy of trees hangs heavy with snow on Friday, January 2, 2009 in Spokane, Washington. Spokane finished December with 61.5 inches of snow, far eclipsing the previous one-month record of 56.9 inches set in January 1950.
See more at the Sacramento Bee
Skiers emerge from the clouds to find a snow-covered wonderland. This picture was taken at the top of Grand Targhee Ski Resort in Alta, Wyoming. There was a solid layer of clouds splitting the resort in half. It was a perfect day at the top, but crappy on the bottom. Photograph by Cole Wright in the National Geographic Magazine International Photography Contest.
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Visible sunlight is white. Most natural materials absorb some sunlight, which gives them their color. Snow, however, reflects most of the sunlight.
The complex structure of snow crystals results in countless tiny surfaces from which visible light is efficiently reflected. What little sunlight is absorbed by snow is absorbed uniformly over the wavelengths of visible light, thus giving snow its white appearance.
From National Snow and Ice Data Center
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