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Snow contains individual ice crystals that grow as they float in the atmosphere – usually in clouds – and then fall, accumulating on the ground, where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout its entire life cycle, starting from the moment when, under appropriate conditions, ice crystals form in the atmosphere, grow to a millimeter, precipitate and accumulate on the surface, then metamorphose in place, and ultimately melt, slide or sublimate away.

Snowstorms are organized and developed due to the supply of feed sources of atmospheric moisture and cold air. Snowflakes are released around particles in the atmosphere, attracting droplets of supercooled water that freeze into hexagonal crystals. Snowflakes come in a wide variety of shapes, the main ones being platelets, needles, columns and rime. As snow accumulates in the snowpack, it may blow into drifts. Over time, snow metamorphoses accumulate as a result of sintering, sublimation and freezing-melting. When the climate is cold enough for year-round accumulation, a glacier can form. Otherwise, snow usually melts seasonally, causing runoff into streams and rivers and replenishing groundwater.

The main areas prone to snowfall include the polar regions, the northernmost half of the Northern Hemisphere, and mountainous areas around the world with ample humidity and cold temperatures. In the Southern Hemisphere, snow is limited to mountainous areas, with the exception of Antarctica.

Snow affects human activities such as transport: it creates the need to protect roads, wings and windows; agriculture: water supply for crops and livestock protection; sports such as skiing, snowboarding and snowmachine travel; and warfare. Snow also affects ecosystems by providing an insulating layer in winter under which plants and animals can withstand the cold.

Snow forms in clouds, which are themselves part of a larger meteorological system. The physics behind the development of snow crystals in clouds is the result of a complex set of variables, including humidity and temperature. The resulting shapes of fallen and falling crystals can be divided into a number of basic shapes and their combinations. Sometimes some plate-like, dendritic and stellar-shaped snowflakes with a very cold temperature inversion can form under a clear sky. Snow clouds usually appear in the background of larger meteorological systems, the most important of which is the low pressure zone, which usually includes hot and cold fronts as part of their circulation. Two additional and local productive sources of snow are strong lake impacts and elevation effects, especially in the mountains.

Mid-latitude cyclones are low-pressure areas capable of creating anything from cloudiness and light snowstorms to heavy blizzards. In autumn, winter and spring in the hemisphere, the atmosphere over the continents can be cold enough due to the depth of the troposphere to cause snowfall. In the Northern Hemisphere, most snow falls on the northern side of the low pressure zone. For southern mid-latitudes, the snow-producing side of the cyclone is the south side.

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