As the end of the year approaches, one thing we know is coming (or has already come) is lots of snow! Millions of individual snowflakes falling from the clouds, forming smooth white blankets over our cars, houses, yards, and streets. Now, we know that snow falling from the sky is just frozen water, but it’s pretty cool how they go from individual drops of water to these frozen crystals.  So how do water molecules combine together to make these beautiful works of art?

The simple answer of how snowflakes are made is water freezing onto particles in the air, like dust or pollen. This initial droplet combining with the particles forms the start of a crystal. As more water droplets freeze onto this initial formation, the crystal grows and creates the different shapes we see in snowflakes. 

All snowflakes have a similar general look; they all have symmetrical patterns and all form six sides. These similarities are due to the crystallization of water onto the dust particles. Crystallization causes the water molecules to arrange themselves in a known pattern because of the structure of the water molecule. As they combine onto the forming snowflake, the water molecule’s structure causes the symmetrical and six-sided shape to happen on all snowflakes. 

Even though snowflakes all have the same general characteristics,  the symmetrical look and the six sides, all snowflakes are actually unique. The pattern they create is based on the path they take as they fall through the sky. Since each snowflake takes a different path from the clouds to the ground, each snowflake is going to have its own unique pattern by the end of its path. Another thing that can affect what type of pattern snowflakes create is the temperature of the sky when they’re falling. Different patterns will form at different temperatures. 

One of the most commonly seen general snowflake designs is the stellar dendrite pattern. This pattern has a tree-like conformation, where the six sides have smaller branches forming off of them. Dendrites are formed when the temperature is at or just below freezing (32oF). Snowflakes with branching patterns are often seen at warmer temperatures, whereas snowflakes with a plate or columnar design are seen at colder temperatures (below 0oF).

The formation of snowflakes is very scientific. The way the water crystallizes onto the particles in the sky, how the patterns form when exposed to the elements in the air, can be determined by science. Looking at the patterns in snowflakes can be scientific as well. We can classify the patterns based on the temperature of the air and their general pattern. When you look at the individual snowflakes, however, they show their artistic side. The way that each snowflake is unique is amazing. The artistry within the crystallization can be seen in every flake observed. Snowflakes are another example of how seamlessly art and science can blend together to make something truly amazing.

References

https://www.noaa.gov/stories/how-do-snowflakes-form-science-behind-snow#:~:text=A%3A%20A%20snowflake%20begins%20to,That's%20the%20short%20answer.

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/class/class-old.htm

https://earthsky.org/earth/how-do-snowflakes-get-their-shape