Patti Frey, age 11, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for her question:

Can it really get too cold to snow?

Some people say this is so. But the experts insist that the weather never really gets too cold to snow. However, they do admit that snow is less likely when the temperature drops down below zero. But it can happen. For example, one time in Alaska the snow flakes came fluttering down when the thermometer registered minus 52 degrees Fahrenheit. And snows have been reported at even lower temperatures.

We can say that snow is less likely to fall in the coldest weather. This is logical because snowflakes are created from surplus moisture in the air. As a rule, cold air tends to be dry and the moisture to make snowflakes is not available. In our temperature zones, we get our heavy snowfalls when the moist air is just above or below freezing. But the South Pole scientists report mid winter snowfalls, even when the Antarctic temperature is colder than minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit.