Snow

Although the Donner-Reed party’s time on the Oregon Trail was filled with suffering, their story did little to slow westward migration.

Donner Party Survivors Were Rescued on This Day in 1847 After Weeks of Frigid Conditions, Starvation and—Eventually—Cannibalism

Bad luck and poor decisions turned the already dangerous trek from Missouri to California into a fatal affair for roughly half of the Donner-Reed party

The Knickerbocker Theater's roof collapsed under the weight of snowfall, resulting in 98 deaths.

Nearly 100 Washingtonians Died When a Theater Collapsed in One of the Largest Snowfalls Ever to Hit D.C.

The Knickerbocker Theater disaster, which took place on this day in 1922, killed 98 moviegoers and injured another 133

Whispers in the Breeze by Team Taiwan won third place—as well as the people's choice and artist choice awards—at the World Snow Sculpting Championship in Minnesota.

Check Out These Spellbinding Snow Sculptures—Before They Melt

In places like Colorado and Minnesota, international teams of talented snow artists are creating larger-than-life masterpieces from fluffy white powder

An international team of scientists spent four summers working in average temperatures of -25.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Scientists Drill 1.7 Miles Into Antarctic Ice, Revealing 1.2 Million Years of Climate History

Researchers say a collected sample is the longest continuous record of Earth’s past climate from an ice core

The snow-capped Rockies glow bright white in the snow.

See the Splendor of the Majestic Rocky Mountains

View 15 awe-inspiring images of this range from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

A Surinam golden-eyed tree frog calls for a mate, puffing out its cheeks.

See 25 Incredible Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest

Cast your vote for your favorite of the photographs, which are all contenders for the People’s Choice award, through January 29

Alpinists ascend along a narrow ridge of ice and snow in the Mont Blanc massif.

Inside One Scientist’s Quest to Understand Why Climate Change Is Making Europe’s Highest Peak More Dangerous

Geomorphologist and veteran climber Ludovic Ravanel is learning how Mont Blanc is shifting—and sharing his discoveries with the Alpine community

The 226 people trapped on board the City of San Francisco endured freezing temperatures, carbon monoxide poisoning and food shortages.

When a Deadly Winter Storm Trapped a Luxury Passenger Train Near the Donner Pass for Three Days

Snowdrifts stranded the vehicle in the Sierra Nevada in January 1952, imprisoning 226 people traveling from Chicago to California

The Original Vienna Snow Globe Factory produces roughly 300,000 snow globes per year.

How an Experiment to Amplify Light in Hospital Operating Rooms Led to the Accidental Invention of the Snow Globe

The origins of the decoration lie in Vienna’s 17th district, where the inventor’s descendants are still making them for collectors around the world

A view of a snow-covered Mount Fuji from Fujiyoshida in Japan.

Japan's Mount Fuji Has Now Remained Snowless for the Longest Time in Its 130-Year Record

After a summer that tied for the country's hottest, meteorologists say an unusually warm autumn is delaying snowfall

A lead canister carrying the fuel rods from the U.S. Army’s Camp Century nuclear reactor in Greenland, during decommissioning in 1960s.

The Odd Arctic Military Projects Spawned by the Cold War

Many offbeat research efforts were doomed to fail, from atomic subways to a city under the ice.

On July 5, Peruvian authorities recovered the mummified remains of American climber Bill Stampfl from the slopes of Huascarán.

Melting Ice Reveals Body of American Mountaineer Missing for 22 Years in the Peruvian Andes

Bill Stampfl, Matthew Richardson and Steve Erskine went missing in an avalanche on Huascarán on June 24, 2002. Climbers found Stampfl's body just weeks ago

The Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan is one of the few animals that spends its entire life at high elevations.

Meet the Rare, 'Beautiful' Birds That Thrive in Snow and Are at Risk Because of Climate Change

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan as threatened under the Endangered Species Act this month

Gilkey Trench in the Juneau Icefield

Alaska's Juneau Icefield Is Melting at an 'Incredibly Worrying' 50,000 Gallons per Second, Researchers Find

Between 2010 and 2020, the icefield lost 1.4 cubic miles of ice each year, according to a new study

Researchers measure California snowpack levels at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada on January 2.

Climate Change Is Melting Snowpack, Pushing Some Regions Past a 'Snow-Loss Cliff'

Some of the Northern Hemisphere's most populous areas are at risk of warming past a critical threshold, after which snowpack melts rapidly with even small rises in temperature, study finds

The cabin features traditional Lapland decorations.

You Can Spend the Night in Santa Claus' Cabin—and Help Sort His Mail

Airbnb is offering one family a chance to spend three festive nights in Rovaniemi, Finland

Flight attendants pose in front of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on Troll Airfield in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica.

First Boeing 787 Dreamliner Lands on Icy Runway in Antarctica

The large plane, which can accommodate roughly 300 passengers, delivered 45 scientists and 12 tons of equipment to a research station in Queen Maud Land

Rapid snowmelt may affect Utah's ski industry, which contributes billions of dollars to the local economy each year.

Dust From the Drying Great Salt Lake Is Wreaking Havoc on Utah's Snow

Last year, the snow melted 17 days earlier because of dust, which warms more quickly than pure white powder, a new study finds

The wolverine sighting in Yosemite National Park

Rare Wolverine Spotted in California—the Second in 101 Years

The elusive creatures disappeared from the Golden State in 1922

Expedition tents at Everest Base Camp in the Mount Everest region of Solukhumbu District

Nepal Won't Move the Mount Everest Base Camp for Now, Despite Risks

The camp is growing more dangerous with climate change and human activity, but it’s an ideal location for keeping hikers safe from falling ice

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