Unexplainable Snow day!
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Mar 11, 2026 Jessica Lundquist, a University of Washington civil and environmental engineering professor who studies snow and water, explains how tiny crystals form and change. She talks about why snowflakes grow different shapes, why fresh snow muffles sound and crunches, what makes snow sticky or fluffy, how snow accumulates on surfaces, and how scientists measure and predict water from snowpacks.
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Why Snow Crunches When You Step
- Crunching comes from breaking fragile bonds between snow crystals that have sintered together near their melting point.
- Lundquist compares snow sintering to metal welding: near-melt molecules create little bridges that you fracture when you step.
Fresh Snow Muffles Sound Like A Pillow
- Fresh, unpacked snow absorbs sound because loose crystals create many air pockets that trap and dissipate sound waves.
- Lundquist notes new snowfall acts like a feather pillow full of air that prevents reflections back to your ear.
Build Snow Structures After Warmer Storms
- Use warmer, near‑0°C storms to make better snowballs and structures because liquid water content increases stickiness.
- Lundquist highlights a sharp stickiness increase between −3°C and 0°C that enables packing and building.