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The key to more accurate rainfall predictions may lie in the intricate dance of falling snowflakes, a new study has found.

The research, observing the physical motion of falling ice crystals, will help scientists better estimate where and when these crystals will melt into raindrops, a crucial stage in the formation of many types of rain.

Published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, the study involved scientists watching how fake snowflakes fell in a substance imitating the atmosphere.

Jennifer Stout, who led the research, said, "Watching snow gently falling can be mesmerizing, so it has been a joy to uncover the ways in which different ice crystal shapes pirouette and zigzag on their downwards journey.

"Understanding the dance of a snowflake is not only beautiful but can help us understand the reflectivity of clouds. Each snow crystal in a cloud acts like a tiny mirror, reflecting and refracting the light that passes through it.

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