# Can it be too cold to snow?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-it-be-too-cold-to-snow/151848
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 31, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-it-be-too-cold-to-snow/151848 "2003-01-31T13:26:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@VanLandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VanLandry)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-it-be-too-cold-to-snow/151848/1 "2003-01-31T13:26:43Z")
Here in the northeast we just went through about two weeks of sub freezing weather.
After a simple comment to a freind regarding how it never seems to snow when it’s really, really cold out. I Started wondering if can be “too cold” to snow.
Now, I realize that really cold weather usually occurs when there are no clouds in the sky allowing any heat to radiate out of the atomsphere but can the temperature be too cold for snow to occur and if so, at what temperature?
Van
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### Author:  [@RedNaxela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedNaxela)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2003, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-it-be-too-cold-to-snow/151848/2 "2003-01-31T13:43:17Z")
Take a look at this Staff Report (by bibliophage): [Does it ever get too cold to snow?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/msnow2cold.html)
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### Author:  [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-it-be-too-cold-to-snow/151848/3 "2003-01-31T13:44:59Z")
Yes, somewhere around -40° (not sure if that C of F) 😉
[At least according to this site.](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/msnow2cold.html)
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### Author:  [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2003, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-it-be-too-cold-to-snow/151848/4 "2003-01-31T14:17:55Z")
I know I’m guilty of asking a repeat question, but this question has been quite popular here lately!
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### Author:  [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2003, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-it-be-too-cold-to-snow/151848/5 "2003-01-31T14:19:03Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Tapioca Dextrin \*
> \*\*Yes, somewhere around -40° (not sure if that C of F) 😉
> \*\*
Tapioca, just wondering you were aware that -40 C = - 40 F?
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### Author:  [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2003, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-it-be-too-cold-to-snow/151848/6 "2003-01-31T14:25:46Z")
whoosh
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### Author:  [@brainchild876](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainchild876)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2003, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-it-be-too-cold-to-snow/151848/7 "2003-01-31T14:42:22Z")
There are a few reasons you haven’t seen any snow in the northeast lately. It has to do with the northern(polar) and southern(tropical) jet streams. In the northeast the past few weeks there has been a trough associated with a blocking high that has kept feeding the cold air down from canada. This would be perfect condition for major snow storm if there was moisture present, however, there isn’t. For the most part the moisture is supplied by the southern branch of the jet stream. The past few weeks there has been no connection between the northern and southern jet streams so the moisture could not be transferred north and in turn the storms move right out to sea. This week we’re going to see a complete flip of that past several weeks. The northern branch and the cold air is going to move north into canada and the southern jet stream is going to move into the middle of the US causing more storms to effect the entire county. However this time we don’t have anymore cold air 🙂 So in many places it will be rain. Don’t worry though, I’m confident sometime yet this winter we’ll get “the big one”