Science, Tech, Math › Science What Is the Difference Between Ice and Snow? They're both solid forms of water, but they have different properties Print Getty Images/michael1959 Science Chemistry Basics Chemical Laws Molecules Periodic Table Projects & Experiments Scientific Method Biochemistry Physical Chemistry Medical Chemistry Chemistry In Everyday Life Famous Chemists Activities for Kids Abbreviations & Acronyms Biology Physics Geology Astronomy Weather & Climate By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Chemistry Expert Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on December 07, 2019 Ice and snow are two of the solid forms of water, H2O, but they aren't the same. What Is Ice? Ice is the word for the solid form of water, regardless of how or where it formed or how the water molecules are stacked together. Frost is ice. Ice cubes are ice. Snow is a form of ice. Read More Snowflake Chemistry - Answers to Common Questions By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. What Is Snow? Snow is the word for precipitation that falls as frozen water. If the water forms crystals, you get snowflakes. Other types of snow include rime and graupel, which are ice but not crystals. You can think of snow as ice that falls from the sky. Many people think of snow strictly in terms of snow crystals, which are formed when water molecules bond together into a crystal pattern, similar to carbon forming a diamond. Snow vs. Frost Both frost and snow grow from water vapor in the air. However, snow forms high in the atmosphere around tiny suspended particles (such as dust), while frost forms close to the ground on solid surfaces, including window panes. Interesting Facts About Snow and Ice Is it true that no two snowflakes are identical? While two flakes could look exactly the same to the naked eye or under light magnification, at the molecular level it's nearly impossible for two to be the same. So the answer could be true or false. You can make instant snow by throwing a cupful of freshly boiled water into the air on a very cold day—for example, 30 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Be very careful handling boiling water. You can supercool water—cool it below its stated freezing point—so it will crystallize into ice on demand. Place an unopened bottle of distilled or purified water in the freezer and chill it for 2.5 hours, then remove it from the freezer. You can make the water freeze instantly if you shake the bottle or open it and quickly pour the water onto a piece of ice. If you try the second method, the water often will freeze backward from the ice cube into the bottle. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "What Is the Difference Between Ice and Snow?" ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/difference-between-ice-and-snow-609431. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2020, August 26). What Is the Difference Between Ice and Snow? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/difference-between-ice-and-snow-609431 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "What Is the Difference Between Ice and Snow?" ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/difference-between-ice-and-snow-609431 (accessed April 25, 2024). copy citation