Throwing boiling water in the air in Antarctica will cause it to instantly freeze and turn into a cloud of steam and snow, as long as the temperature is cold enough (typically below −20∘F).
But it’s not magic—it’s science in action.
When you hurl boiling water into freezing air, something wild happens. The hot water breaks into a fine mist, with each droplet surrounded by freezing cold air. Because the droplets are so tiny, they evaporate super quickly, creating a puff of vapor. Then, almost instantly, that vapor condenses and freezes into icy crystals, falling back to the ground as fluffy snow.
It’s like turning your teapot into a snow machine.
One fun fact: boiling water actually freezes faster than cold water in this scenario, thanks to something called the Mpemba effect. Scientists still debate exactly why this happens, but it’s one reason this icy trick works best with hot water, not cold.
Here’s another cool detail: the cloud it makes looks like steam, but it’s actually a swirling mix of vapor and micro-snow. If you try this in the right conditions, it’s like throwing a fireball that explodes into winter.