Just found a quote with this explanation
"This saying is because less cold air (around 0c to 2c at the surface), is usually associated with more frontal activity. Whereas colder temperatures of -5c and below are usually associated with low humidity. This is most true in the UK, where the source of snow is from atlantic moisture and slightly milder temperatures. However in more continental countries, such as eastern Europe and the central northern US, snow occurs more often at colder temperatures."
Which doesn't address polar snow....but it is a start!
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I have always found the quote to be true. But yesterday it was really cold yet we had snow.
Oh yes, I've heard this expression!
I've heard that expression too. Our mountain ranges seem to get lots of snow and people are happy when the snow is fluffy rather than wet as skiing is so much better.
Thanks for the explanation. I've heard that expression before and never quite understood it. And yeah, what about the North and South poles?!
true. Although we don't get snow here it does appear on the mountain ranges.
I did wonder about that observation because I have been in some bitterly cold places with snow so dry it won't stick together to make snowballs. My husband at the time used to get ice blobs forming on his moustache and beard.
Rick just said "too cold to snow" the other day -- and now I know why!
I didn’t understand this entirely – – but I looked it up, Antarctica is a desert because it gets so little precipitation!
www.bas.ac.uk/about/antarctica/geography/weather/snow
Ditto the Arctic-/much is as dry at the Sahara Desert—I did not know this!
The weather and climate is much more complicated than I really could follow though:
https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/arctic-weather-and-climate/science-arctic-weather-and-climate
Totally confusing. I remember snow when the temps were well below zero.
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