Why Does Snow Pack Better Near the Melting Point?

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The discussion centers on the optimal conditions for packing snow to build snowmen, emphasizing that snow packs best when temperatures are above freezing. The unique properties of water, particularly its expansion upon freezing, influence how snow behaves under pressure. When temperatures are close to the melting point, applying slight pressure can cause the snow to melt slightly, allowing it to re-solidify and hold together better. Participants share personal experiences of building snowmen, noting that wetter snow, typically found near freezing temperatures, is ideal for packing, while dry snow is less effective regardless of temperature. The conversation also touches on the challenges of making snowmen in colder conditions, where snow is less sticky, and the fun memories associated with snow activities. Additionally, there is a mention of various snow types and their moisture content, with insights from snow scientists on the best conditions for snowball making and snowman construction.
  • #51
Charles Link said:
Just one additional comment: In one of the articles that came up in the above links, one of the "experts" said that a ratio of about 5:1 snow to water seems to work the best for snowmen.

One expert who has made that claim is none other than Dr. Daniel Snowman.

It's an interesting observation but, as a sometimes snowman or snowball maker, I find it useless in practice. First, measuring water content takes longer than simply trying to form a snowball. Second, there's nothing I can do about it.
 
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  • #52
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Here is a photo of a 5'0" snowman that I made on Friday 11-15-19. The snow, about 2" of it, was from Monday 11-11-19, but at 27 degrees, it was too cold for packing. The next 3 days were even colder, but on Friday, the temperatures warmed up to about 40 degrees, and the snow from Monday packed superbly. This is a good example of how the snow needs to have sufficient water content to pack for a snowman.
 
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  • #53
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Here is a 4'9" snowman that I made today, New Year's Day 2020, from snow that fell yesterday, but at 28 degrees, it was too cold to pack. Today it warmed up to 38 degrees, and it got just warm enough for the snow to pack reasonably well. Happy New Year.
 
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  • #55
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Here is a picture of a 5'0" snowman that I made Monday 1-13-20, from snow that fell 1-12-20. It was too cold to pack well when it fell, but it warmed up a little today, (above freezing), and it packed very well.
 
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  • #56
This snowman has a hohum smile like he didn’t like you using stale snow.
 
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  • #57
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  • #58
The above is a picture of a 4'4" snowman that I made on 12-30-20, the first snowman of the season in Chicago. I couldn't get this text with the picture, so I put it in the next post.
 
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  • #59
Lucky you! This is the last “snowgirl” I was able to make a few years ago- my area doesn’t get much snow.

I recall wanting to go big, but the warmer temps hadn’t allowed me to pack my base ball as much as I had wanted, so we ended up with with this (probably 2.5’ tall)!
F2D9629B-7ABE-4A60-B1FD-E5DBA52A7171.jpeg
 
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  • #60
We didn't get enough snow yet to make one but folks in Hutto got a passel of the white stuff.

And a snowman from Hutto, Texas, Y'all!

texas-snowman-hutto.jpg
 
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  • #61
Folks were making snowmen on our street but no one knew you had to start with a snowball and roll it around to make a big ball. Instead they just packed the snow together to make it and of course it just didn't look right.

One kid made an angry bird snowman such imagination.

We got 3" of snow in Austin Tx. It started as rain to sleet to snow so it rolled really well stripping all the snow right off of the grass. I was really surprised. I did one roll and gave it to a family building a small snowman for their two year old son.
 
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  • #63
Some great snowmen here! But it surprises me a bit that I haven't yet seen a snowman dressed in Winter 20-21 style, wearing a face mask.
 
  • #64
I’ve seen a couple of local snowmen with surgical masks.
 
  • #66
The above (post 65) is a photo of a 4'3" snowman that I made today, Tuesday 3-16-21, from snow that fell yesterday, but it was too cold to pack. It warmed up above freezing today, about 38 degrees, and the snow packed very easily.
 
  • #67
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  • #68
The above is a snowman that I made today, Tuesday 12-28-21. It measures 3 feet 10 inches tall. It is the first one of the season here in Chicago.
 
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  • #69
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  • #70
The above snowman is one I assembled today Wednesday February 2. It is the second one of the season and is 3' 10" tall. We had 6" of snow in Chicago today, but at 24 degrees, it was too cold to pack. This one took a little more planning than most of them, and the reader might find the details of interest: The snowballs for the snowman came from snow that was on the ground 2 days ago from a previous snowfall about a week ago. It was 38 degrees two days ago, and it packed very well. Yesterday it was 46 degrees with rain, so I covered the snowballs with plastic, and today, when the temperature was 24 degrees, I stacked them into a snowman. I didn't have any snow that would pack well to cement the layers together, so I used dowel rod to hold the snowballs in place.
 
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  • #71
Send some of that snow down here to Louisiana!
 
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  • #72
Dowel rod ==> giving my snowman a little backbone.

Nice touch!

I know stuff we did with snowballs was to have a pail of water to dunk the snowball in. Downside is very cold fingers but great ice balls.

Nowadays maybe a combination of thick rubber gloves (not latex although they might be more flexible and not break) over snow gloves would mitigate the cold fingers problem.
 
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  • #74
The photo above is a 3'6" snowman that I made today Sunday 2-27-22 from snow that fell a couple days ago. It was too cold for packing when it fell (26 degrees), but the temperatures are near 40 degrees today in Chicago, and it packed very well.
 
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  • #76
The above photo is a 5'0" snowman that I made today, Monday March 7. The snow packed very well with temperatures around 35 degrees in Chicago, and it took me only about 20 minutes to make.
 
  • #77
How does Mr Snowman feel about his height? Is that with or without the cap on top?
 
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  • #78
jedishrfu said:
How does Mr Snowman feel about his height? Is that with or without the cap on top?
@jedishrfu This one is a full 60"=5'0" without the cap. :-)
 
  • #79
jedishrfu said:
How does Mr Snowman feel about his height?
A lady never tells!
 
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  • #80
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  • #81
The above is a photo of the 3'8" snowman I made today, Tuesday November 15, 2022, in Chicago, as we had our first snowfall of the season. The snow packed well with temperatures about 35 degrees.
 
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  • #82
We're waiting for a chance of snow tonight. Meanwhile, further to the east from Chicago, we are expecting rain, which will allegedly turn to snow and then back to rain, possibly freezing rain, before just cold rain.
 
  • #83
Your snowman looks great.

Maybe you could post physicsforums sign next him and he can become our mascot. @Greg Bernhardt would like that.

We're flying to upstate NY Albany-Schenectady-Troy area tomorrow and hoping there's no snow.
 
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  • #85
The above post is a photo of a 5'0" snowman that I made today, Wednesday December 28, 2022, from snow that had fallen December 22nd. The snow was too cold to pack on that day (in Chicago), but now the temperatures are finally above freezing, and today it got up to 40 degrees and it packed very readily.
 
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  • #86
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  • #87
The above photo is a 3'8" snowman that I made today, Sunday January 22, 2023, in Chicago. The snow packed well with temperatures just above freezing.
 
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  • #88
During the Christmas-week cold snap we got maybe 2 inches of snow and the thermometer was -12F at 10pm. I went for a walk and was delighted to become re-acquainted with (really loud) dry squeaky snow.... -squeak- -squeak- -squeak- -squeak- -squeak- -squeak- -squeak- -squeak-

I think it may have been particularly loud because the ground was not very wet and the frost line not very deep......maybe a resonator?
 
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  • #90
The above is a photo of a 5'6" snowman that I made today, Wednesday January 25, 2023, along with the one from Sunday that now measures 2'8" tall. The smaller one had toppled over on Sunday, and I reassembled it, but we also had a couple of days of milder weather. The new one was very easy to make with temperatures slightly above freezing =the snow packed well, and I had plenty of snow with the 2"-3" that fell in Chicago overnight.
 
  • #92
The above is a photo of the two snowmen from last week today on Groundhog Day, Thursday 2-2-23. The larger one has now shrunk from 5'6" to about 4'0". They saw their shadows, but let's hope for an early spring.
 
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  • #95
The above photo is a 3'4" snowman that I made today, Friday 2-17-23, in Chicago. The snow didn't pack very well=it was below freezing, but some sunshine and the warmer ground below made it semi-manageable for packing.
 
  • #96
No snow at all in Indy. A few years ago I snapped on my cross-country skis for a spring, cold-snow/warm-ground, attempt at skiing. It ended fairly quickly with my skis weighing about 5 pounds apiece and I looked like I had Homer Simpson feet. Should have known better.
 
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  • #97
Never skied for fear of looking like some other comic figures.
 
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  • #98
We seldom get snow here in Austin. Most recently we got THE ICE STORM where Mother Nature dumped freezing rain one day, made sure it was frozen and then dumped more freezing rain the second day to truly overload the live oak trees everywhere.

Now we have loads of branches to cleanup with an estimate of April before the city will complete the pickup. Until then piles and piles sit on our front lawn waiting for that special day.

One highlight though were two huge branches crashed down on our backyard fountain. Neither of them even touched our Buddha Frog sitting serenely in the middle of the chaos.

My son suggested he used the power of mind to deflect them.

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  • #100
Upon closer inspection, please note the branch is suspended above his foot by about 1 inch or so being held there by total serenity.
 
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