![]() ![]() ![]() The intricate shape of a single arm of the snowflake is determined by the atmospheric conditions experienced by entire ice crystal as it falls. Thus, we see long needle-like crystals at 23 degrees F and very flat plate-like crystals at 5 degrees F. Ultimately, it is the temperature at which a crystal forms - and to a lesser extent the humidity of the air - that determines the basic shape of the ice crystal. The ice crystals that make up snowflakes are symmetrical (or patterned) because they reflect the internal order of the crystal’s water molecules as they arrange themselves in predetermined spaces (known as “crystallization”) to form a six-sided snowflake. As the ice crystal falls to the ground, water vapor freezes onto the primary crystal, building new crystals – the six arms of the snowflake. ![]() A: A snowflake begins to form when an extremely cold water droplet freezes onto a pollen or dust particle in the sky. ![]()
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