How Snowflakes Are Made

Snowflake creation begins in clouds, where tiny water droplets float around. As temperatures drop, these droplets freeze into ice crystals, often around 14 degrees Fahrenheit. These crystals stick to tiny particles like dust, which helps them form into snowflakes. 

Kids Question: What happens to other things like water or plants when they get really cold? 

As snow crystals grow, they take on the classic six-sided, or hexagonal, shape. This happens because water molecules naturally align in six-sided shapes when they freeze. This is why all snowflakes are hexagonal, even though no two look exactly alike! 

Kids Question: Imagine drawing your own snowflake! How would you make each of the six sides different? 

When a snowflake becomes heavy enough, it starts to fall toward the ground. On its way down, the snowflake picks up more water droplets, melting and refreezing, causing the shape to change even more. This is why it’s impossible to find two identical snowflakes—each one goes on a special journey through the sky! 

Kids Question: If you could imagine a journey as a snowflake, what kind of path would you take? 

Each snowflake pattern is influenced by the temperature and humidity in the clouds. Higher humidity creates snowflakes with more branches, while lower humidity leads to simpler shapes. So, every snowflake’s pattern tells a story about the weather above! 

Kids Question: What other patterns do you notice in our environment?

Snowflakes play an important role in understanding weather patterns, climate change, and even water resources. Snowflake scientists, called snow crystallographers, study snowflakes to understand more about how snow impacts the environment and helps provide water for plants, animals, and people. Each snowflake’s structure tells us something about the conditions in the atmosphere, like temperature and humidity. By studying snowflakes, scientists can see how weather changes from year to year. These studies are essential because snow in winter becomes water in spring, which supplies rivers, lakes, and groundwater for our communities. 

Changes in snowflake formation can even help scientists see patterns related to climate change. For example, warmer winters can lead to fewer snowflakes and more rainfall. By studying snowflakes, scientists can understand how our climate is changing and what that might mean for the future. 

Kids Question: What other things do you think scientists study in nature to learn more about weather or climate? 

Kids Question: Why do you think it’s important to understand how the weather is changing?