How cold does it have to be to snow and how warm is too warm?

Question

How cold does it have to be to snow and how warm is too warm?

Answer 1

Ask A Preschooler Stupid!!!

Answer 2

What wyxman said. I have even seen snow falling at 44 degrees F (very rare!) due to a very shallow layer of warm air hugging the ground.

Answer 3

Ask your science teacher!  Or a third grader.

Answer 4

Actually, it's not an easy answer.  You can have temperatures at the SURFACE around 40 degrees F and still get snow, and conversely, it can be well below freezing at the surface and get sleet or even freezing rain.  The key is the temperature in the layer of the atmosphere where the precipitation is being produced, plus the temperatures of the atmosphere where the precipitation falls through.  To get snow, you need temperatures in the precipitation area to be at least about 10 below zero in order to get flake growth.  Then of course it must stay below freezing for at least most of the way down to the surface for the flakes to survive without melting.