Snow is a form of precipitation that occurs in the form of crystalline water ice. It consists of multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. The precipitation of crystalline water ice leads to the formation of snow. Snow is considered as a granular material since it contains tiny particles. Snowflakes come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Types which fall in the form of a ball due to melting and refreezing, rather than a flake, are known as graupel, with ice pellets and snow grains as examples of graupel.
Early stages of snow formation
Snow in its familiar tangible form reaches such state though a formation process that starts in the earth’s atmosphere. Temperature and levels of moisture contribute significantly to the snow formation. When a tiny crystal comes in contact with a huge amount of moisture in the air, condensation begins. Thus the ice crystals obtain various shapes and sizes. The tiny condensed drops cling to each other and get transformed into ice crystals when exposed to extremely low temperature, less than 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Next stage of formation
The droplets then begin to freeze randomly by sticking to each other and lead to the formation of heavy drops which unable to suspend in the atmosphere, tend to fall towards the ground surface. These crystals pass through varying degrees of temperature and precipitate as snow. Interestingly enough, the ‘ice crystals’ which fall from the sky is known as snow.
Final shape of snow
Snowflakes come in different shapes and sizes. Traditionally every snow flake has six sides, each flake is unique. While traveling towards the ground, the snowflakes might permeate surface air, either warmer or cooler. Thus the flakes go through melting and refreezing. Various shapes and sizes are formed due to this rigorous process of melting and freezing till the flakes finally hit the ground. On reaching the ground, the snowflakes again melt and bond with other flakes. All the intricacy in the patterns of these flakes is lost. Provided, the surface temperature is extremely low, the snow would eventually form a hard coated crest. Warm temperature would make the snow melt and become mushy eventually lose structure and form water.
