How Do Snowflakes Form?

Snowflake images from Alexey Kljatov: This week Reactions is taking a microscopic look at snowflake science and how they form. Huge snowstorms and blizzards dump feet of snow from the skies every year, and that means trillions of tiny snowflakes. Through advances in crystallography, scientists have learned a lot about the structure of snowflakes. While they all start pretty much the same, once they start crystallizing, it’s true that no two snowflakes are alike.