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Cold Temperatures
Temperatures from ground level to cloud level must be at or below freezing for snow to develop and make it all the way to the ground. If a narrow layer of air immediately above the ground is warmer than freezing, snow can still fall. If it doesn't melt entirely as soon as it hits the warmer band of air, it will result in large clumps of snowflakes that have partially melted and stuck to each other.
Moisture
When water vapor is present in cool air, the water condenses. At ground level, this is referred to as dew or frost. But when large amounts of water droplets form above ground, they form a cloud. When temperatures reach freezing levels, these water droplets are said to be "supercooled" and the droplets gradually begin to freeze when temperatures reach 14 degrees Fahrenheit, or -10 degrees Celsius. This is when a snowflake begins to form, first as a basic hexagonal shape, and then growing complex branches depending on the temperature and the amount of condensation present.
Particles
Every snowflake begins as a particle of dust in the air. When water begins to condense, the water droplets attach themselves to the particle. If conditions of temperature and air moisture are right, this particle will become the basic building block of a snowflake.
Stratiform Clouds
A stratiform cloud is one that is thin, dense and relatively close to the ground and develops as a result of large portions of slowly rising air. Such clouds frequently cover the sky in an entire region and present the most ideal conditions for snow to develop.