Helicopters in msfs24 spawning dust where there is snow what should i do to spawn snow effects in live weather?

Anarkand2241 · November 13, 2025, 11:26am

ISSUE DESCRIPTION

Description of the issue:

Helicopters in msfs24 spawning dust where there is snow.

FREQUENCY OF ISSUE

How often does this occur for you (Example: Just once, every time on sim load, intermittently)?

Every time

REPRODUCTION STEPS

Tested with the community folder empty, no extra helicopters, no mods or anything.
Using custom weather the helicopter detects that there is snow and spawn snow effects.
In live weather it does not, it detects something else and it spawns the dirt dust effect,

Please list clear steps you took in order to help our test team reproduce the same issue:

community folder empty
start sim
Select area with snow coverage

YOUR SETTINGS

If the issue still occurs with no mods and add-ons, please continue to report your issue. If not, please move this post to the User Support Hub.

What peripherals are you using: moza sb9 base with thrustmaster warthog joystick, thrustmaster rudders and full captain throttle bundle

[PC Only] Are you using Developer Mode or have you made any changes to it?

I did the test with and without developer mode i went into developer mode, and now i can see that in live weather the heli does not detect any snow as you can see here, but it does in custom snow weather, there is even some undefined surface type in live weather.

[PC, MSFS 2020 Only] Are you using DX11 or DX12?

Dx12

[PC Only] What GPU (Graphics Card) do you use?

Zotac 4070

[PC Only] What other relevant PC specs can you share?

MEDIA

TheSevenflyer · November 13, 2025, 12:47pm

Topic moved from Bug Reports.
When entering bug reports do not delete the template and ensure all sections of the template are completed.

DementedCorn327 · November 13, 2025, 1:05pm

Are helicopters on your screenshots 3rd party ones ?, can you reproduce the issue with 1st party helicopters and without any addons installed ?

madeinblue · November 13, 2025, 1:08pm

The last screenshot seems to be the default h125 regarding the livery

DementedCorn327 · November 13, 2025, 1:13pm

Yes could be, just saw that OP mentioned it happens with 3rd parties as well as 1st party ones. Testing should be done with community folder empty and Marketplace addons disabled to confirm if issue could be due or not to a mod conflict.

Anarkand2241 · November 13, 2025, 3:28pm

now i tested with the community folder empty, no extra helicopters no mods no nothing, here is the screenshot of the exact replica of the problem so i could actually replicat it, on custom weather the helicopter detects that there is snow and spawn snow effects, in live weather it does not, it detect someting else and it spawn the dirt dust effect

DementedCorn327 · November 13, 2025, 3:30pm

Thanks for the additional testing. So you can create a bug report following @TheSevenflyer advice and only using 1st party helicopters to demonstrate the issue.

DementedCorn327 · November 13, 2025, 8:07pm

Tested at EFEK. IMO it does not seem to be dust but more likely a change in the sun lightning that illuminates the snow and give it like a yellow tone.

Anarkand2241 · November 14, 2025, 9:40am

i shared a link of the video, but as you can se when you swtich to normal weather and live, in normal you see even the snow effects from the heli, in live weather is just dust, i understand you say that it looks like the sun reflection but as you see one is white even with the same sun

QuitScarab3989 · November 14, 2025, 10:16am

It seems quite clear that the sun does change from right before you toggle custom weather producing the sunlit orange-y blowing snow.

The second picture is a few frames after the first one and the sun is obviously brighter, corresponding to a change in the color of the blowing snow. The snow goes completely white a few seconds after the second picture.

With that said… I can’t imagine that this much of a change in the snow’s color is intentional given how little the sunlight actually changes. I think it’s fair to call this a bug as the snow going from an orange to a deep white from this subtle of a lighting change is very weird and (IMO) unlikely to be intended.

Anarkand2241 · November 14, 2025, 12:02pm

Look the video again if you see when there is the snow effect is spawning small snow balls of whatever it is, in live weather is not.

DementedCorn327 · November 14, 2025, 3:18pm

I have made additional testing and was thinking to another scenario.
Spawning close from H01 helipad in Switzerland:
If you spawn in summer, using custom weather, clear sky, you see dust. If you add snow through the corresponding slider, you see the dust transforming to snow, so all good.
If you then switch to Live weather, snow is covering the ground but you still see the dust effect.
So my assumption is that when using Live Weather at a place covered by snow, yes you see snow on the ground (like a mask) but the resulting effect is still the dust.
The snow slider transform the dust to snow, but the snow rendered in Live weather is just ground rendered and not the snow controlled by the slider. I hope it could explain the difference between custom & Live weather

Anarkand2241 · November 15, 2025, 8:54am

i went into developer mode, and now i can see that in live weather the heli does not detect any snow as you can see here, but it does in custom snow weather, there is even some undefined surface type in live weather. @TheSevenflyer

TheSevenflyer · November 15, 2025, 2:32pm

Template completed and post returned to Bug Reports, but in the Aircraft & Systems section, as this is a visual effect of the aircraft.