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If you look out your window, you might see tiny, sparkling snowflakes falling from a clear blue sky —but that's not actually snow. It's diamond dust. Not only that, but the diamond dust is not technically falling from the sky, either.
The phenomenon is happening in parts of Michigan today (February 3), according to the National Weather Service. Staff from the National Weather Service in Gaylord recorded a video of diamond dust falling just outside their office. The blue-sky precipitation also resulted in a halo and "sun dogs" around the sun. Check it out below.
According to the Farmer's Almanac, the weather phenomenon requires extreme cold (it was -1 degrees in Gaylord this morning), as well as temperature inversion, meaning the coldest air is near the ground. When this happens, tiny ice crystals form near the ground and then float in the air, much like household dust, and create the appearance of snowfall. The tiny crystals catch and reflect the sunlight, which makes them sparkle like diamonds —hence the name "diamond dust." The Farmer's Almanac says it's more like Mother Nature's tinsel than snow.
Actually spotting diamond dust is extremely rare. "If you’ve never seen diamond dust before, it’s because very few places, other than Antarctica and the Arctic, get that cold," according to the Farmer's Almanac. "Occasionally, portions of Canada and the northernmost tier of the United States (locations in Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) can see temperatures cold enough to create this sparkly snow."