ice crystals

noun, Meteorology

precipitation consisting of small, slowly falling crystals of ice.

Also called ice needles.

Origin

1840-50

Examples from the web for ice crystals

Most baked cookies can also be frozen if wrapped airtight to prevent ice crystals and freezer burn.
They probably are made of water ice crystals, and they are still in sunlight when night has fallen on the ground below.
Rather than scrambling the ice crystals, the shock wave from the rocket organized them into an array of tiny spinning tops.
Ordinarily, ice crystals rupture the cells of a frozen tissue sample, leaving nothing but freezer-burned goo.
The quicker it gets into the hardening cabinet, the smaller the ice crystals.
Clouds are composed primarily of small water droplets and, if it's cold enough, ice crystals.
The major concern in cryopreservation of cells is the possible formation of ice crystals inside in the cells.
These ice crystals act as condensation nuclei around which even more water vapour in the surrounding air condenses.
In winter, the problem is that there aren't sufficient ice crystals.
The form of the ice crystals depends on the cooling rate and hence on the air temperature.