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How is snow made?

Now we all know that a cloud has water in it. A cloud can basically be defined as a collection of water. The cloud is up high in the atmosphere where the air is thin and it's really cold, usually below the freezing point of water. You're probably wondering; if it's below the freezing point of water and a cloud is basically a collection of water than why isn't the cloud a giant ball of ice.

Well, it's because all of the water collected in the cloud is pure water and pure water can only freeze when it sticks to a particle, such as a particle of dust. So, as the frozen pure water continues to build up on the particle it makes a snowflake. "Depending on the conditions, different shaped crystals will grow.

In general, we see that snowflakes have a six-sided symmetry. This is because of the shape of a water molecule (two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom stuck together), the angle between the two hydrogen atoms is about 120 degrees. This is also the angle between two sides of a regular hexagon (six-sided figure where all the sides are the same length). So in a sense, water molecules like to "fit together" in six-sided shapes."

Quote and information from http://www.faqkids.com/idx/4/082/article/How_is_snow_made.html

How is it that every snow flake is different from the last?

For this question, we can use the information that we have read in the comment above. It basically just goes down to the very making of the snowflake. The snow builds up differently on the particle it attaches to. The only thing that's the same in each and every snowflake is that it's a six sided ice crystal. The size, shape and other characteristics are determined by the build upon the particle.

Information from http://www.faqkids.com/idx/4/082/article/How_is_snow_made.html

How does a loud sound make really heavy snow come tumbling down the mountain side?

Not all avalanches are created by a loud noise, like most people think. The really big avalaches, or the "Big Guys in White Suits", are made by simply the weight of your body coming in contact with a "soft spot" in the snow that has been there a very long time. In other words, when you step on an area in the snow that has particularly weak layers then you're bound to start an avalanche.
If you are still wondering how some avalanches get started by a loud noise then I'll be happy to explain. To better explain this, I'll use an example. Have you ever walked in the snow? If so you know that when you put your foot in the snow it leaves a pretty prominent footprint. This shows that snow isn't very compacted or very loosely together. So, as I can imagine, having such an unstable collection of snow in an area could, in fact, be caused to roll down the mountain if a vibration, such as a loud sound, contacted with it.
There are also soooo many different types of avalanches that ,sometimes, it's hard to figure out how it started.


Information from:http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/encyclopedia/avalanche.htm

Blizzard picture from http://miraclemountain.blogspot.com/2010/01/blizzard-bad-blizzard-good.html

Lake Effect picture from http://www.wunderground.com/blog/Alley/comment.html?entrynum=1

Ice Storms picture from http://www.dresserassociates.com/blog/ice-storm-freezes-dresser-associates-company-headquarters/

Snow Squall picture from http://weblogs.marylandweather.com/2008/11/snow_squall_gets_noticed_disap.html

Sleet picture from http://rummage.wordpress.com/2009/01/page/2/

Freezing Rain picture from http://vertigoarchitecture.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/creating-te-wave/

Types of Snowstorms

Blizzard-a storm with widespread snowfall accompanied by strong winds

Lake Effect-produced in the winter when cold winds move across long expanses of warmer lake water, providing energy and picking up water vapor which freezes and is deposited on the windward shores. ...

Ice Storms-a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain, also known as a glaze event

Snow Squall-a sudden moderately heavy snow fall with blowing snow and strong, gusty surface winds

Sleet-Rain drops that freeze into ice pellets before reaching the ground

Freezing Rain- When liquid precipitation comes in contact with a surface that is at or below freezing, the liquid becomes solid ice