Rain showers stop and start suddenly and vary widely in intensity, and are gone in less than an hour. Intermittent rain stops and starts repeatedly, although not as abruptly or as frequently as showers. Freezing rain or freezing drizzle freezes on impact and forms a coat of ice on the ground and on the objects they strike. They occur when the air temperature is below zero Celsius near the ground but above zero Celsius higher up. A thunderstorm produces heavy rain, high winds, lightning and even hail or tornadoes.
Snow is composed of millions of star-shaped hexagonal ice crystals.
When the term snow is used without qualification, it means precipitation of significant duration and extent. A snow squall brings strong winds, flurries and poor visibility. Blowing snow is lifted by the wind from the earth's surface to a height of 2 m or more, whereas drifting snow is blown to a height of less than 2 m. A blizzard is a severe storm that lasts three or more hours, and brings low temperatures, strong winds and poor visibility due to blowing snow. They always occur in showers and are often accompanied by snow flakes or rain drops, when the surface temperature is around zero Celsius.