Breakdown: Why snowflake shapes are so unique

Breakdown: Why snowflake shapes are so unique

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Snow may look the same when it is all clumped together, but no two snowflakes are alike.

A snowflake forms when extremely cold water droplets freeze onto pollen or dust particles in the atmosphere.

This freezing of the particle creates an ice crystal and as it falls to the ground, water vapor freezes onto the primary crystal, thus building new crystals, or the six arms that we see on snowflakes.

Ultimately, the temperature at which a crystal forms, and to a small extent the humidity in the air, is what determines the basic shape of the ice crystal.

This means that crystals that form at 23 degrees are different that those that form at 5 degrees.

There are always six arms on the snowflake, but the shapes are determined by the atmosphere conditions experienced by the ice crystal as it falls.

A crystal may grow arms in one way then change as it falls because of the temperature and humidity changes.

The reason why snowflakes are not the same is due to the path they take to the ground. They encounter various atmospheric conditions, meaning each snowflake is unique, resembling everything from prisms and needles to the familiar lacy pattern.

Copyright 2020 WMC. All rights reserved.