Ground‐based radar measurements of ice clouds and snow are used to estimate the size, number, and density of snowflakes. Doppler velocity measurements of particle fall speeds are used to estimate the mass and shape of the snow particles. The properties of snow estimated using radar compare well against measurements of particles at the surface and estimates of the amount of liquid water in the atmosphere; the presence of liquid water relates to the potential for riming, in which snowflakes increase in density and fall speed by collecting and freezing liquid droplets. More accurate estimates of snow density from ground‐based and satellite radars help to improve global estimates of precipitation and snow accumulation and the representation of clouds and snow in weather and climate models.