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How Cold Does It Have to Be to Snow in the UK? (It's Not as Cold as You Think)
Experts say snow forms from ice crystals in clouds and can fall at any UK temperature, with heaviest snowfalls usually near freezing, not below zero.
- AccuWeather reports the simple answer is no, as no temperature is too cold for snow to form, while The Met Office says precipitation falls as snow below 2C.
- Forecasters say the myth began as a misapplied concept because colder air holds far less moisture, so below zero or single-digit temperatures make heavy snow unlikely due to air's maximum water vapour capacity.
- Cloud physics shows how flakes form as tiny ice crystals stick into snowflakes that fall, with moist air near 0C creating large flakes and very cold, dry air producing powdery snow.
- When ground air exceeds 2C, snow turns to sleet or rain, causing travel disruption and drifting in towns and villages, especially with strong winds.
- Throughout the colder months readers in the UK have higher chances of seeing snow, and the article, produced via a USA Today partnership, may not reflect The Herald's view.
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How cold does it have to be to snow in the UK? (It's not as cold as you think)
This is how cold it has to be to snow in the UK, according to the Met Office - find out how snow forms.
·County Durham, United Kingdom
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