Are snowflakes frozen raindrops?

The Science of Snowflakes

After learning the below eleven big facts about these little crystals, you may never look at a snowflake the same way again. 

1. SNOWFLAKES ARE NOT FROZEN RAINDROPS.
Snowflakes are an aggregation, or cluster, of hundreds of ice crystals that fall from a cloud. Frozen raindrops are actually called sleet.

2. THE TINIEST SNOWFLAKES ARE CALLED "DIAMOND DUST."
The smallest snow crystals are no larger in size than the diameter of a human hair.

Because they're so small and lightweight, they remain suspended in the air and appear like sparkling dust in the sunlight, which is where they get their name. Diamond dust is most often seen in bitterly cold weather when air temperatures dip below 0° F.

3. SNOWFLAKE SIZE AND SHAPE IS DETERMINED BY CLOUD TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY.
The reason why snow crystals grow this way is still somewhat of a complicated mystery... but the colder the air surrounding a growing snow crystal is, the more intricate the snowflake will be. More elaborate snowflakes also grow when the humidity is high. If temperatures within the cloud are warmer, or if humidity within the cloud is low, expect the snowflake to be shaped like a....Read more...

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