Precipitation in the form of snow could severely degrade the performance of the planned EISCAT_3D radar antenna array. In this paper the performance of the antenna elements, crossed yagi antennas, is studied using both simulations and measurements. The results shows that during snowfall the performance of the antenna is degraded, and under severe conditions the antenna becomes non-operational. To guarantee operability of the system, the effect of snow cover should be taken into account when designing the final antenna.