snow

Light is reflected in all directions when it hits snow -- that's why the snow looks white. Snow is not frozen rain. Snow forms by sublimation of water vapor -- the turning of water vapor directly into ice, without going through the liquid stage. So, high above the ground, chilled water vapor turns to ice when its temperature reaches the dew point. These tiny hexagonal ice crystals gather more water, causing them to grow. The larger crystals fall to the ground as snowflakes. A snowflake is made of between 2 and 200 separate snow crystals.