FARK.com: (4898774) If you have any idea why the snow coming down in the Philly area last night was pink, the National Weather Service would love to hear it

If you can read this, either the style sheet didn't load or you have an older browser that doesn't support style sheets. Try clearing your browser cache and refreshing the page.

(Some Guy)		If you have any idea why the snow coming down in the Philly area last night was pink, the National Weather Service would love to hear it (phillyburbs.com)		79
		More: Strange, pink, mountaineers, Officer Matthew Reiss, FAA, National Geographic, grass, roofs, New Year's Eve

• • •

18547 clicks; posted to Main » on 01 Jan 2010 at 2:33 PM | Favorite | share:

Share this link:

URL:

http://fark.com/go/4898774

Bookmark:

Article Comments close

79 Comments (+0 »)

Archived thread

First | « | 1 | 2 | » | Last | Show all

cazman		2010-01-01 11:29:10 AM

I think Peru and smugglers may be involved.

ZAZ		2010-01-01 11:36:18 AM

Watch out where the gay folks go
and don't you eat that hot pink snow.

das		2010-01-01 11:58:38 AM

I heard it was faaaaaaaaabulous!!!!!!

CtrlAltDelete		2010-01-01 12:16:13 PM

Boy quickly solves neighborhood mystery with Google

itazurakko		2010-01-01 12:17:09 PM

What? No pics?

Interesting though. I've heard of black snow (from pollution) and yellow snow (on the ground only, different kind of pollution) but never pink.

muck4doo		2010-01-01 12:25:12 PM

The moon is bleeding.

tonesskin		2010-01-01 12:48:34 PM

FTFA: The algae are chlamydomonas nivalis, or snow algae

Whoa, that's the same thing I was diagnosed with after snorting a line off of Paris Hilton's ass!

kmmontandon		2010-01-01 01:25:10 PM

itazurakko: What? No pics?

Interesting though. I've heard of black snow (from pollution) and yellow snow (on the ground only, different kind of pollution) but never pink.

It exists naturally in some alpine regions.

And, bizarrely enough, it tastes sort of like watermelon.

SurfaceTension		2010-01-01 02:00:43 PM

itazurakko: What? No pics?

Interesting though. I've heard of black snow (from pollution) and yellow snow (on the ground only, different kind of pollution) but never pink.

Volcanic ash mixed in with snow can turn the snow red or pink. But there has to be a lot of it. The winter prior to the Year without a summer^, reddish snow was reported in eastern Europe.

Now whether that is the reason here, I have no idea. But it is one possibility. (Though I think we'd have known about an eruption the size of Tambora by now.)

FloydA		2010-01-01 02:18:22 PM

edmo		2010-01-01 02:36:54 PM

Mother Nature has signed on as a major sponsor for the Save the TA-TAs effort.

Foaming		2010-01-01 02:37:26 PM

They finally managed to shoot down Santa

peridinos		2010-01-01 02:37:55 PM

Subs: "If you have any idea why the snow coming down in the Philly area last night was pink, the National Weather Service would love to hear it"

No they wouldn't. TFA says that a local kid Googled it and found out the snow was colored by algae.

Bad_ad85		2010-01-01 02:39:05 PM

chlamydomonas nivalis.

DrMcNinja		2010-01-01 02:42:20 PM

2012 came early

Gameshot911		2010-01-01 02:43:01 PM

Story is useless without pics.

oldebayer		2010-01-01 02:43:07 PM

Meh, it's just an airborne variant of Red Tide. It would happen in Florida a lot more often if Florida ever got snow.

RoyBatty		2010-01-01 02:43:51 PM

God was trying to get the party started?

SwiftFox		2010-01-01 02:44:36 PM

It's caused by rainbows too near the ground

DaTheorist		2010-01-01 02:44:41 PM

I'm surprised nobody has suggested a Commie Plot.

get real		2010-01-01 02:44:48 PM

gee, if only the weather service had internet access.
Link (new window)

Ponzholio		2010-01-01 02:44:58 PM

I thought it was people from the alien's grinder...

Jerseylina		2010-01-01 02:45:51 PM

Wanted for questioning:
imgur.com

LeroyBourne		2010-01-01 02:49:39 PM

Watermelon snow?
/that's racist!

Tricky Chicken		2010-01-01 02:51:04 PM

I think it has something to do with King George and the stamp act.

belhade		2010-01-01 02:52:28 PM

Bad_ad85: chlamydomonas nivalis.

I read this as "navel chlamydia".

Which, folks, is the unfortunate outcome of unprotected belly-button sex.

Curious		2010-01-01 02:53:19 PM

well it was a misleading headline (what's new) but an interesting article. starting the new year off with a it of new knowledge.

Zma		2010-01-01 02:53:48 PM

I saw it a few times on one of the mountains back home. It did look all Dr. Seuss-y.

iamscotto		2010-01-01 02:54:30 PM

Gay.

tbyte		2010-01-01 02:55:13 PM

Misleading headline, the snow coming down was not pink.

JesterGirl		2010-01-01 02:56:29 PM

Also wanted for questioning

Giant Clown Shoe		2010-01-01 02:57:11 PM

menses?

LeroyB		2010-01-01 02:59:40 PM

If the snow were yellow, I could take a guess as to why.

GoTarHeels		2010-01-01 03:03:21 PM

RoyBatty: God was trying to get the party started?

+1. Beat me to it.

/ Duke sucks.

Dumb-Ass-Monkey		2010-01-01 03:04:16 PM

Headline - If you have any idea why the snow coming down in the Philly area last night was pink, the National Weather Service would love to hear it

FTFA - As the police continued to probe the mystery of the pink snow, a resident came out and told Reiss that her son went on the Internet and believes he had found the culprit.

"She said that it was 'watermelon snow' that was from an algae, whose name I wouldn't try to pronounce," said Reiss.
Advertisement

The algae are chlamydomonas nivalis, or snow algae, that owe their red color to a bright red carotenoid pigment.

According to the National Geographic Web site, the snow algae, like all algae, are green at heart; the red comes from the secondary pigment. Usually in a dormant stage in winter, at times they "wake up" germinate, and squirm up through the ice crystals toward the sunlight, coloring the snow.

see, the way it works is like this - If the story explains it, then the "_________ would like to talk to you / would like to hear it" meme doesn't work...

MightyHef		2010-01-01 03:04:59 PM

Soylent Green is people!

RubberBabyBuggyBumpers		2010-01-01 03:05:13 PM

FTA: it had a Hilltown police officer and the residents of Revere Drive scratching their heads

What color is dandruff?

TheGreatGildersleeve		2010-01-01 03:19:49 PM

Global Warming ^TM ?

Kumana Wanalaia		2010-01-01 03:23:27 PM

Paris Hilton was in town and she had it dyed to match her shoes?

fyrewede		2010-01-01 03:27:26 PM

Wanted for questioning

/hot like fire

JeanLucPicard		2010-01-01 03:29:34 PM

WANTED FOR QUESTIONING
www.criticaljunctions.com

/hot

Bill_Wick's_Friend		2010-01-01 03:31:54 PM

kmmontandon: And, bizarrely enough, it tastes sort of like watermelon.

It blooms on a lot of the glaciers up here in the summer. Pretty stuff. Big pink patches on bluish-white glacier ice. "Watermelon" is a stretch, I think. Vaguely fruity. Kinda earthy.

/hints of oak....cherry....pine nut.....and snowboarder piss.....definitely from the south side of the hill.

tonesskin		2010-01-01 03:41:48 PM

JesterGirl: Also wanted for questioning

That guy looks pissed!

riscirock		2010-01-01 03:43:24 PM

perhaps a pH issue.
lots of white things turn pinkish if a little too acidic.
(and bluish if alkaline)

it's probably not a good sign.

Marc_Arsenal		2010-01-01 03:45:23 PM

A few years ago in Colorado Springs we had chocolate snow. No mention of chocolate rain though.

Tony_Pepperoni		2010-01-01 03:50:18 PM

/hot

Ponzholio		2010-01-01 03:50:32 PM

I just know if a friend makes you a lemonade snowcone, it's not made of lemons...

AbbeySomeone		2010-01-01 03:53:50 PM

Its a sign people! Repent!

/its the end of the world as we know it
//and I feel fine
///dnrtfa

Braindeath		2010-01-01 03:55:39 PM

Oh a tiny part of Philly. I clicked on this because I was thinking what farking pink snow - it wasn't pink where I was. At least when the buses got stuck that might have been entertaining.