Rare ‘industrial snowfall’ thought to be caused by pollution recorded in UK | Phenomenon whereby moisture condenses around particles of pollution was noticed near Heathrow in January

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1. >Satellite imagery shows three large, white bands on the ground in parts of Surrey despite relatively dry conditions in the area at the time. The snow, which was recorded on 23 January, was distributed near industrial facilities south-east of Heathrow airport.
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   >The “only real explanation” was that pollution triggered the snowfall, said Dr Julian Mayes, an independent weather and climate consultant who saw the snow and authored the study.
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   >Anthropogenic or industrial snowfall can occur when moisture in the air condenses around tiny particles of pollution, for example, forming snowflakes. Conditions must be just right, with sufficiently low temperatures and an abundance of moisture in the atmosphere. Only a handful of cases have been reported in the UK.
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   >Industrial snowfall was not typically forecast, which is why it could surprise observers, added Harrison.
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   >The phenomenon has also been reported in the US. One case in 2014 in Amarillo, Texas, was blamed on steam from large power plants, which is thought to have turned to snow in the cold February air. “The folks who work at the plants have noticed it for years,” a local energy firm’s spokesperson told the Amarillo Globe-News at the time.
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   >This unusual form of snow would probably become rarer still in the UK, said Harrison, as average temperatures are expected to continue rising due to global heating.

   Industrial snowfall might become rarer in areas that are warming, but industrial rain will still be an issue.