Snow Flake Shapes

There are eight categories of snow flake shapes*

• Columns

• Plane Crystals

• Column-Plane Combinations

• Aggregation

• Rimed Snow Crystals

• Germ of Ice Crystals

• Irregular Particles

• Other

I have managed to capture photos of many of the shapes listed above but first a definition for rime. When a snow crystal encounters a water droplet that freeze on the crystal, in droplet form, it’s called rime. A blob of rime is called graupel or soft hail.

Now on to the fun stuff.

Columns and Irregular Particles

Plane Crystals

Column-Plane Combinations

If you look closely at the photo above you can see the center flower-like structure has edges meaning it is sitting above the fern-like structure below it. It also has some rime seen as the white spots.

Aggregations

Rimed Snow Crystals

Some interesting things I have noticed is snowflakes that fall on a single day are very similar to others that fall on that day.

1-21-23

Notice the hexagon centers of the crystals in the photo above. Also notice the three-pronged branch ends on the lower left is very similar to the branch ends on the broken crystal on the lower right. These fell on 1-21-23. Compare the above, to the crystals below that fell on 1-24-23. These flakes, below, have flower shaped centers with fern like branches.

1-24-23

I-27-23

On 1-27-23 Most of what fell was irregular pieces with the occasional very thin fern like structure with irregular pieces frozen to it.

The careful observer might also notice that I was trying different backgrounds on different days. In the photo taken on the 21st I was using a silicon grill mat, on the 24th I used a microfiber lens cloth, and on the 27th was using the back a cast iron skillet. None of them were ideal. I’m still working on it. It was suggested that I use a black background with a piece of glass over it. It’s snowing today so I will try that if I manage to get outside.

Here are my favorites.