What Are Snowflakes?

The first snow of the season is really exciting! The snow piles up on the ground, making so many possibilities for fun, from building snowmen to having a snowball fight!! But, if you look closely at the snow under your feet, you will see that it is made up of even smaller parts called snowflakes. Snow crystals form when water in the Earth’s atmosphere freezes. When the temperature is at or under 32°F, the water in the atmosphere freezes and forms clouds. When these ice crystals bump into each other, they get bigger and form a snowflake design. When they get heavy enough, they fall to the ground as snow! Every single snowflake has a unique shape! That is what snowflakes are!