For many parts of the U.S., winter is a time for snow days, snow plows and messy commutes to work.

So as you break out your scarves, boots and snow shovels and prepare for the winter ahead, consider these facts about snow that may not be well-known:

• During the early 1900s, skiers created their own terminology to describe different types of snow, such as "fluffy," "powder" and "sticky." These descriptions later evolved into more sophisticated terms, such as "champagne powder," "corduroy" and "mashed potatoes."
• Practically every location in the U.S. has seen snowfall, including portions of southern Florida.
• Based on National Weather Service records from 1961-1990, Rochester, N.Y., is the snowiest large city in the U.S., averaging 94 inches of snow per year.
• In early December 1995, Buffalo, N.Y., another snowy city, received 39 inches of snow during a 24-hour period; snow removal cost the city nearly $5 million.
• It took 14 days for the residents of Bethel, Maine, to make the tallest snowman ever. Completed Feb. 17, 1999, the snowman, Angus, was about 114 feet tall, and had car tires for a mouth and trees for arms.
• The snowiest spot in the U.S. is Valdez, Alaska, with an annual average of 326 inches of snow.
• The greatest amount of snowfall officially reported at the National Weather Service office in Phoenix was 1 inch. It occurred twice—Jan. 20, 1933, and Jan. 20, 1937.
• The most snowfall in one day fell in Georgetown, Colo., in 1913; the town received 63 inches during a 24-hour period.
• The Guinness Book of World Records states that the world's largest snowflake appeared at Fort Keogh, Mont., on Jan. 28, 1887. The snowflake was about 15 inches wide and 8 inches thick.
• In the western U.S., mountain snow pack contributes up to 75 percent of all year-round surface water supplies.
• Washington state's Mount Baker holds the world record for most snow in one year—1,140 inches in 1998.
• The largest piece of ice ever to fall to the earth was an ice block with a 20-foot diameter in Scotland Aug. 13, 1849.
• An average 105 snow-producing storms, with life spans of two to five days, affect the continental U.S. each year.
• Hancock International Airport in Syracuse, N.Y., has the biggest snow plow in the world; it has a 32-foot blade and can clear 8,500 cubic yards of snow in an hour.
• A single snowstorm can drop 40 million tons of snow, which carries energy equivalent to 120 atom bombs.
• Pibloktoq, or "Arctic hysteria" is a condition that appears in Inuit societies living within the Arctic Circle. Symptoms can include screaming, uncontrolled behavior and depression.

This Web exclusive information is a supplement to Technical Elements.