Precipitation (cont'd)

Snow is the second most common type of precipitation that occurs in Missouri. The formation of snow is very similar to rain. The lone difference is temperature. For snow to form the temperature must be at or below freezing inside the cloud.

Create Figure #3 yourself:
Draw Figure #2 on your own paper, or in the space provided below. However instead of raindrops put in snowflakes.

Figure 2

Figure 3

1. Begin at ground level and consider the air temperature to be 32 and the dew point 26.5 (air temperature is below freezing in this example).
2. Air is forced upward by a cold front or other occurrence. As the air rises the temperature decreases at approximately 5.5 degrees Fahrenheit per 1000 feet. The dew point does not change.
3. The height at which temperature and dew point become equal, a cloud will begin to form.
4. Dew point can never be lower than temperature. As the air continues to rise the temperature will continue to fall. The atmosphere will not be able to hold the moisture as a gas anymore and snowflakes will begin to form. As the snowflakes fall from the cloud the dew point will decrease along with the temperature of the air parcel.