Is a snowpack depressing?

[Kamsack]

Originally Posted by alex985

I think it's funny when people in places like Minnesota say that snow pack is "depressing". Even a warm, snowless winter up there would feature brown grass, bare trees and probably more overcast skies than normal (warmer winters tend to be cloudier in the Upper Midwest). Much more of a drab landscape then it being under a blanket of snow with more bright, sunny days albeit colder.

It is very true that warmer winters in North Dakota and northern Minnesota are often very cloudy....freezing drizzly...and foggy. When we got our first true shot of cold air (temps below 0F) it cleared out all the gunk and we had a few days of bright blue sky and fresh air. I much prefer the fresh air from arctic airmasses and below zero temps to the grey dull cloud cover in the winter and temperatures in the 20s. Plus wet gloppy snow and slush is a heck of a lot harder to drive around on then dry powdery snow.

Up here I do find many people get very antsy for snow to melt once you reach mid March. Certainly if a solid snowpack lasts into early April it can get old, especially by then as the sun is stronger and we see many more above freezing days and it turns to slush.

Love nothing better than walking on very dry, powerdry snow...that squeaks when you walk.

[Serious Conversation]

Freshly fallen snow is beautiful. After several days it mostly looks stale and loses the fluff.

[kitty61]

Originally Posted by Weidehond

Today I heard somebody say that a snowpack is depressing when it lasts for too long.
I think it is not because it brightens up everything. However, when it lasts too long it gets a little annoying. Note: a snowpack for more than two weeks is very rare at my location so I'm not an expert.


What do you think: is a snowpack depressing and why?

I live in Canada and have never heard the winter term "snow-pack" until now but that's okay. We only have about 1 inch of snow-fall on the ground right now and unseasonably warm weather. Odd for my part of the country but climate change welcome.
I prefer a snow-pack any day to floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, alligators, poisonous snakes and insects, winter rain, deserts, dried-up rivers, shootings, NRA, flags, Trump ..... just saying that is what we trade for snow. A little snow and low temps a few months a year- not a bad!

[Shalop]

Originally Posted by Kamsack

It is very true that warmer winters in North Dakota and northern Minnesota are often very cloudy....freezing drizzly...and foggy. When we got our first true shot of cold air (temps below 0F) it cleared out all the gunk and we had a few days of bright blue sky and fresh air. I much prefer the fresh air from arctic airmasses and below zero temps to the grey dull cloud cover in the winter and temperatures in the 20s. Plus wet gloppy snow and slush is a heck of a lot harder to drive around on then dry powdery snow.

Up here I do find many people get very antsy for snow to melt once you reach mid March. Certainly if a solid snowpack lasts into early April it can get old, especially by then as the sun is stronger and we see many more above freezing days and it turns to slush.

Love nothing better than walking on very dry, powerdry snow...that squeaks when you walk.

You said it.

Clear, dry, bitterly cold air masses are the best. And I also love that powdery dry stuff at low temps. Sometimes it even becomes crunchy at really cold temps.