Why is the snow of a Northeast blizzard ideal for snowballs and snowmen?
Schools have been dismissed as heavy, wet snow blanketed parts of the Northeast. Although it will be a pain to shovel, it makes the perfect snowball and the most structurally sound snowman
Olga Pankova/Getty Images
More than 15 inches of snowfall in New York City led to school closures and travel disruptions in New York state, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
So what to do with all that snow? Well, when you’re done breaking your back shoveling, experts recommend snowball fights and sledding.
Snowfall in the Northeast is heavy and of high moisture, the result of cold Arctic air colliding with warm, moist air from the Atlantic. The storm system stalled across the region, causing all the moisture – now cooled into white particles – to fall on roads, power lines, sidewalks, and lawns. While adults may deny the need to shovel wet, heavy snow, it should be perfect for snowmen and snowballs, says Alicia Vasula, meteorologist and president of consulting firm STM Weather in Troy, NY.
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“I don’t think any child will complain,” Vassula says.
Conditions in the area were conducive to dense, heavy snow, with air temperatures around zero. Vassula says colder air usually leads to looser snow, while temperatures around 32 degrees Fahrenheit (zero degrees Celsius) result in heavier, wetter snow because the crystals melt slightly and stick together as they hit the ground. Vassula says accumulation may also depend on the type of layer, which is determined by the temperature within the cloud where the ice forms. Classic six-sided snowflakes, known as dendritic flakes, freeze best.
Meteorologists measure the density of snow based on its ice-to-liquid ratio, which is essentially how much water there is per inch of snow. Vasula says on average there is about an inch of water per 10 inches of snow, but this varies greatly from storm to storm. The heaviest snow ratio can be as little as 3:1 or 4:1, meaning there is one inch of water for every three to four inches of snow. Meanwhile the ratio for the softest snow can exceed 30:1, meaning it takes 30 inches of powder to add to one inch of water.
Observations off the East Coast taken before 8 a.m. local time showed that the snow that fell overnight had an ice-to-liquid ratio between 10:1 and 15:1 (this ratio could change throughout the day Monday). This is not ideal for skiers, who prefer snow with about a 20:1 ratio for a light, floaty ride. But the snow is wet enough that it can be packed well into snowballs, creating the most structurally sound snowmen and providing a nice, smooth surface for sledders. Winds associated with the storm’s low pressure system may keep kids indoors for much of today, but temperatures in the 30s F (low single digits C) over much of the Northeast over the next few days will mean more opportunities for kids to play in the white stuff.
“It should definitely stick around for a while,” Vassula says.
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