Malingana ndi kutentha ndi chinyezi cha mpweya, zitumbuwa za chipale chofewa zimapanga miyandamiyanda ya maonekedwe osiyanasiyana. Nthunzi wamadzi umaphimba tinthu ting'onoting'ono ta fumbi, zomwe zimakhazikika kukhala miyala ya ayezi. Mamolekyu a m’madzi amazungulira m’makona atatu. Zotsatira za njirayi ndi chipale chofewa chokongola kwambiri chokondedwa ndi aliyense kuyambira ali mwana.
Chipale chofewa chatsopano chimakhala cholemera kuposa mpweya, chomwe chimachititsa kuti chigwe. Kugwera kudziko lapansi kudzera mumpweya wonyowa, nthunzi wamadzi wochulukirachulukira umaundana ndikuphimba pamwamba pa makhiristo. Njira yoziziritsira chipale chofewa ndi yadongosolo kwambiri. Ngakhale kuti matalala onse a chipale chofewa ndi a hexagonal, zina zonse za mapangidwe awo zimasiyana. Monga tafotokozera pamwambapa, izi zimakhudzidwa ndi kutentha ndi chinyezi chomwe chipale chofewa chimapanga. Zina mwazinthu ziwirizi zimathandizira kupanga mapangidwe okhala ndi "singano" zazitali, pamene ena amajambula zithunzi zokongola kwambiri.
(Yericho, Vermont) anakhala munthu woyamba kujambula chithunzi cha chipale chofewa pogwiritsa ntchito maikulosikopu yolumikizidwa ku kamera. Zithunzi zake zokwana 5000 zinadabwitsa anthu okhala ndi mitundu yosiyanasiyana yosayerekezeka ya makhiristo a chipale chofewa.
Mu 1952, asayansi ochokera ku International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) adapanga dongosolo lomwe limayika chipale chofewa kukhala mawonekedwe khumi. Dongosolo la IACS likugwiritsidwabe ntchito masiku ano, ngakhale kuti machitidwe apamwamba kwambiri alipo kale. Kenneth Libbrecht, pulofesa wa sayansi ya sayansi ku California Institute of Technology, wachita kafukufuku wambiri wokhudza momwe mamolekyu amadzi amapangidwira kukhala makristasi a chipale chofewa. Pakufufuza kwake, adapeza kuti machitidwe ovuta kwambiri amasinthidwa m'nyengo yachinyontho. Ma snowflake owuma a chipale chofewa amakhala ndi mawonekedwe osavuta. Kuphatikiza apo, zitumbuwa za chipale chofewa zomwe zagwa pakutentha pansi -22C nthawi zambiri zimakhala ndi mawonekedwe osavuta, pomwe mawonekedwe ovuta amakhala amtundu wa chipale chofewa chofunda.
Malinga ndi kunena kwa wasayansi wa pa National Center for Atmospheric Research ku Boulder, Colorado, pafupifupi chipale chofewa chimakhala ndi . David Phillips, katswiri wamkulu wa zanyengo ku Environmental Conservancy ku Canada, akuti chipale chofewa chomwe chagwa kuyambira dziko lapansi kukhalapo ndi 10 ndikutsatiridwa ndi maziro 34.