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Rain or Snow?
dependent upon temperature
Precipitation typically forms
high in the atmosphere where the
temperature is below freezing. As ice crystals form aloft and fall toward
the surface, they collect each other to form large snowflakes.
If ground temperature is above 32 F,
the freezing level must be located somewhere above the ground.
As the falling snow passes through the freezing level
into the warmer air, the flakes melt and collapse into raindrops.
During the summer months, it is not uncommon for the freezing level to be
found at a level above cloud base.
When the air temperature at the ground is less than 32 F,
the snowflakes do not melt on the way down and therefore reach the
ground as snow.
Occasionally, we observe snow reaching the ground even though the
outside temperature
is above freezing. This occurs when a very thin layer of
warm air is found near the surface.
Since the layer of warm air is so shallow,
the precipitation reaches the ground as snow before it has a chance to melt and
become rain. For more about precipitation, visit the
precipitation section of this module.
fronts
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Cloud Types
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