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Classifications of snow
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<p>Classifications of snow describe and categorize the attributes of <a href="/facts/Snow/HEFKcgIB">snow</a>-generating weather events, including the individual crystals both in the air and on the ground, and the deposited snow pack as it changes over time. Snow can be classified by describing the <a href="/facts/Winter_storm/InXeILh3">weather event</a> that is producing it, the shape of its <a href="/facts/Ice_crystals/By1nPMgF">ice crystals</a> or <a href="/facts/Snowflake/KUWqwqbP">flakes</a>, how it collects on the ground, and thereafter how it changes form and composition. Depending on the status of the snow in the air or on the ground, a different classification applies. </p><p>Snowfall arises from a variety of events that vary in intensity and cause, subject to classification by weather bureaus. Some snowstorms are part of a larger weather pattern. Other snowfall occurs from <a href="/facts/Lake-effect_snow/UHeegk1o">lake effects</a> or atmospheric instability near mountains. Falling snow takes many different forms, depending on atmospheric conditions, especially vapor content and temperature, as it falls to the ground. Once on the ground, snow crystals metamorphose into different shapes, influenced by wind, freeze-thaw and <a href="/facts/Sublimation_(phase_transition)/KDoKokMn">sublimation</a>. Snow on the ground forms a variety of shapes, formed by wind and thermal processes, all subject to <i>formal</i> classifications both by scientists and by ski resorts. Those who work and play in snowy landscapes have <i>informal</i> classifications, as well. </p><p>There is a long history of northern and alpine cultures describing snow in their different languages, including <a href="/facts/Inupiaq_language/CUdMLN9u">Inupiat</a>, <a href="/facts/Russian_language/ETXrTgHV">Russian</a> and <a href="/facts/Finnish_language/lBuEIgs0">Finnish</a>. However, the lore about <a href="/facts/Eskimo_words_for_snow/vK9FkB8D">the multiplicity of Eskimo words for snow</a> originates from controversial scholarship on a topic that is difficult to define, because of the structures of the languages involved. </p>