I Wonder What the Eskimos Call It

There is a certain kind of snow that you notice on the streets before you can see it falling. Cars driving through intersections stir up a powdery white dust. It rises up in little spiralling dervishes, swirls around, and settles again. It's almost as though the snow is being created at street level. After a few minutes, you start to see bigger flakes tumbling down through the air, and you realize, "yes, it really is snowing!"