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You are here: Home / Universe / Is Snow Frozen Rain and How is Snow Formed?

Is Snow Frozen Rain and How is Snow Formed?

June 28, 2020 by Karen Hill

Hail or sleet is frozen rain, but snow is never formed as a frozen raindrop.

snow on the ground and trees

Snow forms from ice crystals high above the earth. These particles turn into snow without first becoming rain.

At the height that snow usually forms, the temperature is from 20 to 60 degrees below zero, far too cold for water to exist as a liquid.

How is Snow and Frozen Rain Formed?

It may be easy to explain snow as frozen rain, but it isn’t really true.

Snow has never been rain. Water vapor in extremely cold temperatures sublimes, or passes directly from a gas to a solid, into ice crystals, which consequently form clouds.

Snow precipitates out of clouds in the same way rain does: When the mass of crystals becomes dense enough, gravity pulls it toward Earth.

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  • Why Does Hot Water Put In the Freezer Freeze Faster Than Cold Water and How Is Convection a Factor?
  • What is Dry Ice Made of and Why Does Dry Ice Produce Smoke?
  • How Does Hot Water Freeze Faster Than Cold Water?
  • Why Do Icebergs and Ice Cubes Float When Solids Are Heavier Than Liquids?

Filed Under: Universe

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where Is the Wettest Place on Earth?
Next Post: Can It Ever Be Too Cold To Snow? »

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