Diamond dust is a weather phenomenon in which a cloud is made up of minute crystals of ice in the ground level. It is a meteorological phenomenon which is also referred to as ice crystals. Since diamond dust forms in clear skies it is also known as “clear-sky precipitation”. It occurs in places where the temperatures drop below the freezing point.

Diamond Dust and Fog :

Both are clouds which remain near the surface. They differ in their physical states. Fog is made of water in the liquid form whereas diamond dust is composed of ice. Fog can largely affect visibility since it is very dense. On the other hand diamond dust may not always affect visibility as it is quite thin.

Properties of Diamond dust :

Diamond dust can be 60 to 1000 feet in thickness. At the outset diamond dust is seen in the form of bright flashes of light which make it seem as if numerous diamonds are floating in the air. This happens due the reflection of sunlight through the crystals of ice.

Diamond dusts are related to certain optical processes like solar halo. The dust falls at a slow rate so that proper crystals are formed which can refract sunlight in different directions producing spectacular patterns.

Occurrence of Diamond dust :

Diamond dust can occur in any part of the world having very cold winters but it predominates in the heart of Antarctica.

Problems of Diamond dust :

It can affect automatic weather stations which may give wrong information about the weather.

Diamond Dust is usually seen in places like the Arctic and Antarctica where it can last for a number of days at a stretch.