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Freezing Level?
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead

What is the significance of "freezing level"?
snow conditions
snow conditions
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

It's the height at which the air temperature is 0C. Above this, precipitation tends to be snow, below it tends to be rain.
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ski holidays
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Does that mean above FL, the melt factor is any less?

What does it mean in practical terms for someone who is watching it creep higher and higher and getting more and more anxious? (I mean for the snow not me!)
snow report
snow report
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.

Yes the snow will (tend) to melt below the freezing level and (generally) not above it. The temperature needs to be quite high to get (in)decent rates snow melt as it requires a lot of energy to melt snow (the same as is needed to boil the equivalent amount of water). rain does far more damage...and if you get precip. below the FL then it will normally be rain and therefore more damaging. However, the precipitation can cool the air as it drops and so it is possible for rain falling through air with a low dewpoint (wet bulb temperature, taupunkt in German) to cool it sufficiently for the rain to turn to snow. The air needs to be quite cool and you generally need dewpoints of 0 or below. The forecast dewpoints for the Alps by GFS are 0C at 2m, so there is a chance that the FL will drop as the rain moves in (though in the mountains there are other effects to take into account).
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