Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Snow can be soft and fluffy or stinging and icy; perfect for skiing ...

A snowflake begins its life as water vapor in the air that converts directly into ice crystals without first becoming liquid water. If hundreds or even thousands of these tiny ice crystals collide and ...

Snowflakes are like letters from the sky, each crystal a note describing the atmosphere as it falls to the ground. They float effortlessly, but their creation is one of nature’s most complicated ...

Peer through a magnifying glass at a snowflake, and you’ll see an ice creation more elaborate than anything Martha Stewart could cut from folded paper. So what’s behind the snowflake’s unique and ...

From large, wet flakes to hard, barrel-shaped pellets, snow comes in many forms. While all snowflakes start in the same basic way, variations in temperature and humidity while they are forming ...

"I read your article about the biggest snowflakes, and was wondering what causes the difference in size of the flakes. We get 'snow pellets' here along with what a co-worker called 'cotton ball flakes ...

Snowflakes form when supercooled water vapor freezes around particles in clouds. Temperature and humidity dictate snowflake shape; needles form around -5 to -10°C. No two snowflakes are alike due to ...

As winter settles in, many of us are getting an up-close look at more snowflakes than we might care to. Let’s take a moment to look at just what forces are shaping (literally) our winter weather. Top ...

Miriam Rossi, a professor of chemistry at Vassar College, offers the following reply: Snowflakes are symmetrical because they reflect the internal order of the water molecules as they arrange ...