What is an ice fog or pogonip? While often creating beautiful icy coatings on surfaces, these dangerous fogs are common in the Rockies...read more on pogonips.

The Blizzard of 2010 may be officially over, but the Mid-Atlantic states are still digging out from the 2 to 3 feet of snow that was dumped on the area in less than 24 hours. Hundreds of thousands of residents are without power, and many will stay that way for days. How do I know? I am living through it. While we have had power, relatives are now sleeping over because of a lack of power in their own homes. With groceries in hand, and stories of power that was not expected to be turned on for over a week, the weather here has been horrible. Accuweather.com reported that an aircraft hangar roof collapsed at Dulles International Airport and a CSX coal train along the line from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. had derailed in Pennsylvania. Especially hard hit was the Washington D.C. area where President Obama dubbed the blizzard 'Snowmageddon' at a meeting of the Democratic National Committee on Saturday.

There is a bright side. The blizzard photos I took are quite striking and beautiful. The snow was easily clinging to every branch of the trees. Unfortunately for my arborvitae, which we did not tie up, there are few still standing. If you still have power, there may be another Nor-easter on the way next week, so you may want to read up on these blizzard preparation tips. You may also want to check out these snow depth totals.

Teacher conferences or programs are available all around the country. Many are in the summer months, but some are also offered throughout the school year. One example is the History of Winter (HOW) project. Elementary and secondary school teachers can apply for the program. The focus is on the Cryosphere, or frozen sections of Earth including glaciers, polar regions, and snow. Get more information and an application for the History of Winter program now.

Well folks, it is official. Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his hole and saw his shadow. As this tidbit of weather folklore goes, that means six more weeks of winter. The tradition of using Phil the groundhog as the world's only weather forecasting groundhog began in 1887. As the legend goes, Punxsutawney Phil emerges from the ground on February 2nd every year. If he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, good weather is on the way soon. For 2009, Phil did see his shadow. But how much truth is there to this interesting bit of weather folklore?