Where does snow come from on Mount Everest?

Mount Everest, like other mountains, receives snowfall from the water vapor present in the atmosphere. Here's how snow forms on Mount Everest:

1. Evaporation: The sun heats the Earth's surface, including the oceans, lakes, rivers, and other water bodies. This process converts liquid water into water vapor, which rises into the atmosphere.

2. Condensation: As water vapor rises higher into the atmosphere, it encounters cooler temperatures. This causes the water vapor to condense back into tiny droplets of liquid water, forming clouds.

3. Formation of Ice Crystals: Inside the clouds, the tiny water droplets may encounter freezing temperatures. These extremely low temperatures cause the water droplets to freeze and form ice crystals. These ice crystals have a hexagonal shape, which gives snowflakes their characteristic six-sided appearance.

4. Snowfall: The ice crystals continue to grow and combine with each other, becoming larger and heavier. When they become too heavy to stay suspended in the air, they fall to the ground as snow.

On Mount Everest, due to its high altitude and cold temperatures, the conditions are favorable for the formation and accumulation of snow. Snowfall can occur throughout the year, but it is more frequent during the winter months (November to February). The snow that falls on Mount Everest can accumulate over many years, forming glaciers and ice fields.