Science Fact Finder | Weather and Climate - Is It Ever Too Cold To Snow?

Is it ever too cold to snow?

No. The air always holds some moisture, regardless of its temperature. Moisture falls from clouds in very cold air in. the form of tiny snow crystals.

Frigid air, particularly polar air that sweeps into a region in the wake of a cold front, produces scant snow. In contrast, heavy snowfalls occur when relatively mild air is brought to a region by a warm front. (A front is the boundary between warm and cold air masses.)

The fact that snow piles up year after year in Arctic regions illustrates that it is never too cold to snow.

Sources: Forrester, Frank. 1001 Questions Answered About the Weather, p. 286; Sanders, Ti. Weather, p. 165.

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