Why No Two Snowflakes are Identical and 4 Other Fun Facts

Snowflakes take on many different shapes, sizes and characteristics, but why?

By Allison Futterman
Nov 29, 2022 4:00 PM
Snowflakes
(Credit:Alexey Kljatov/Shutterstock)

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A sure sign of winter, particularly in cold-weather regions, is snow. Love it or hate it, these intricate ice crystals fall to the Earth as unique snowflakes and blanket the ground.

Snowflakes are a composition of up to 200 ice crystals. These crystals are created when a cold water vapor droplet becomes frozen to a pollen or dust particle. While the crystal is falling, other water continues to freeze onto the crystal — enabling new crystals to build and the snowflake to form.

One of the most common things about snowflakes is that no two are identical. But here are four other fun facts about snowflakes and how they stay unique.   

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