Capped column snowflake, light micrograph. Snowflakes are ice crystals that form in air that has a temperature near the freezing point of water. If the air is calm, then a symmetrical, hexagonal snowflake can form. The exact shape of each snowflake depends on local climatic conditions within the precise area of the cloud where it is formed. As such, no two snowflakes are identical, with each individual pattern emerging as the crystal grows. Capped columns first grow into stubby columns and then are blown into a region of the clouds where the growth becomes plate-like. This results in two thin plate-like crystals growing on the end of an ice column.