How Cold Does It Have To Be To Snow? | Metro News

It’s been a cold, cold January so far – and the Met Office have predicted it could stick around a bit longer.

With weather warnings in place in parts of the country after snowfall and flood risks, it’s not exactly been a winter wonderland, even for those who are fond of a blanket of snow.

But as the cold snap continues, just how is snow formed, exactly, and how cold does it need to be to snow?

Can it become too cold for snow to even fall?

Here’s all you need to snow…

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How cold does it need to be for snow?

For snow to fall and stick, ground temperatures need to be below 2 degrees.

In the UK, the heaviest snow falls tend to happen when the air temperature is between 0 and 2 degrees.

If the air temperature is above freezing then falling snow will begin to melt.

Snow will fall as sleet in temperatures above 2 degrees, and fall as rain in temperatures over 5 degrees.

How does snow form?

Snow forms when tiny ice crystals in clouds stick together to form snowflakes.

If enough crystals stick together, they’ll become heavy enough to fall to the ground.

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They are usually formed when there is moisture in the atmosphere but will melt around the edges in temperatures slightly warmer than freezing (zero degrees), sticking to other crystals to form larger snowflakes.

Can it be too cold to snow?

You may well have heard the suggestion that it can become too cold to snow if temperatures plunge below a certain point – but there is no truth in this.

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It is less likely to snow if the mercury falls into the minus figures, but that’s not so much because it’s too cold as it’s too dry.

If the temperature is too low, there will be less water vapor in the air, making it drier – which will impact whether or not snow falls.

AccuWeather explains that most snowfalls occur with relatively warm air temperatures close to the ground – usually 15 degrees fahrenheit or above – and the lower the temperature gets, the less likely it is to snow.

However, they have added that the only time snow is impossible would be if absolute zero – the lowest limit of the thermodynamic temperature scale, estimated to be around -459.67°F – is reached.

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