snowflake

References

Images & Videos

A single, detailed snowflake rests on the fibers of a wool coat, showing its intricate crystalline structure against the textured background.

Animated design of a snowflake against a blue background.

Animated snowflake against a dark background.

How do snowflakes form?

Witness snowflake crystals created in a laboratory environment

snowflake

weather

Also known as: snow crystal, snow flake

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Learn about this topic in these articles:

snow
Snowflakes are formed by crystals of ice that generally have a hexagonal pattern, often beautifully intricate. The size and shape of the crystals depend mainly on the temperature and the amount of water vapour available as they develop. At temperatures above about −40 °C (−40…
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Snowflakes are formed by crystals of ice that generally have a hexagonal pattern, often beautifully intricate. The size and shape of the crystals depend mainly on the temperature and the amount of water vapour available as they develop. At temperatures above about −40 °C (−40…
Read More

ice
…frost at ground level and snowflakes (each of which consists of a single ice crystal) in clouds. Below the same temperature, liquid water forms a solid, as, for example, river ice, sea ice, hail, and ice produced commercially or in household refrigerators.
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…frost at ground level and snowflakes (each of which consists of a single ice crystal) in clouds. Below the same temperature, liquid water forms a solid, as, for example, river ice, sea ice, hail, and ice produced commercially or in household refrigerators.
Read More