Types of Snow

Blizzard

A long-lasting snow storm with intense snowfall and usually high winds. Particularly severe storms can create whiteout conditions where visibility is severely reduced.

Columns

A class of snow flakes that is shaped like a six sided column. One of the 4 classes of snow flakes.

Dendrites

A class of snow flakes that has 6 points, making it somewhat star shaped. The classic snow flake shape. One of the 4 classes of snow flakes.

Flurry

A period of light snow with usually little accumulation with occasional moderate snowfall.

Graupel

Precipitation formed when freezing fog condenses on a snowflake, forming a ball of rime ice. Also known as snow pellets.

Ground blizzard

Occurs when a strong wind drives already fallen snow to create drifts and whiteouts.

Lake-effect snow

Produced when cold winds move across long expanses of warmer lake water, picking up water vapor which freezes and is deposited on the lake's shores.

Needles

A class of snow flakes that are acicular in shape (their length is much longer than their diameter, like a needle). One of the 4 classes of snow flakes.

Rimed snow

Snow flakes that are partially or completely coated in tiny frozen water droplets called rime. Rime forms on a snow flake when it passes through a super-cooled cloud. One of the 4 classes of snow flakes.

Sleet

In Canada and Britain, rain mixed with snow; Some Americans also refer to this as sleet, while others refer to sleet as ice pellets formed when snowflakes pass through a layer of warm air, partially or completely thaw, then refreeze upon passing through sufficiently cold air during further descent.

Snow pellets

See graupel.

Snowsquall

A brief, very intense snowstorm.

Snow storm

A long storm of relatively heavy snow.

Soft hail

See graupel.

Thundersnow

A thunderstorm which produces snow as the primary form of precipitation.