Does Snow Have a Smell?
Does snow have a smell? Many say yes. But what does it smell like? Now, that’s a little harder to define…
By Aimee Tucker|Jan 05 2022|
Does snow have a smell?
Photo Credit:Sometime during the last decade, Yankee‘s longtime editor Mel Allen penned a short piece for our site sharing his 10 Favorite Smells of New England. It’s one of my favorite posts from the digital archives to share on the Yankee Facebook page, because it inevitably leads to a new flurry of scent suggestions.
This last time, I zeroed in on one winter smell suggestion — snow.
It got me thinking… does snow have a smell? I’d never thought about it before, but when I did, I had to agree that it does. When I close my eyes and think about being in the woods after a heavy snowfall, the laden branches low and the air still, there is an undeniable snow-y smell. But what is it? And is it really the snow I’m smelling? Hmmm.
So, for the first question:
Does snow have a smell?
Many of you definitely think so. In the “Favorite Smells of New England” post comments, I saw variations of “the smell of snow” over and over:
The smell of snow in the air.
The smell of snow about to come down.
The smell of snow falling.
One reader, Lori, simply said: “Snow (yes, you can smell snow).”
Many people seem to associate the smell with “clean.”
The smell of fresh, clean air when it snows.
Then again, not everyone…
The “cold, dirty” smell of fresh snow.
So the answer is… yes?
And the second question:
What does snow smell like?
A little scientific research (remember, I’m a digital editor, and absolutely, definitely not a scientist) explained that the chemical compounds in snow are what give it any “smell” it has, but unless you’re a chemist, you’re probably not going to go there. You’re going to say it smells “clean” or “cold” or make comparisons to ozone or wood smoke.
Some people claim they can detect a change of smell in the air before it snows. You can also argue that snow smells different on the ground than it does falling from the sky, and that neither smells like the ice in your freezer ice trays.
So what does snow smell like? Darned if I know, but it definitely does.
What do you think?
This post was first published in 2017 and has been updated.
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I enjoyed the photos of the Ice Castles in Lincoln, NH. Would love to explore them. Perhaps one day.
Yes! Snow has a smell. But it changes…. ultimately it’s a mix of “cold”, a faint vegetation scent of wet grasses and bark, a hint of woodsmoke, and the most subtle semblance of a sweetness not unlike sap. And it’s better at night… one of those delicious moments to savor when the dog wants to go out at midnight.
Yes I believe snow has a distinct, hard to describe smell but I have always loved it & even in my old age, when it snows I love to go outdoors, preferably by the woods, put my face up & inhale the freshness of it. But I also can smell the rain, can anyone else??
I have to agree, I definitely can smell snow, before it arrives and when it is falling. Clean and fresh are the two words that come to my mind. Someone mentioned rain having a smell, I have to agree. Sweet smell of new falling rain, there is nothing like it. And I love the smell of the ocean. Would be nice to know why.
Same feelings.
It’s all about the ions in the air that make all the things you mentioned in your comment. Microscopic particles in the air that greatly affect human beings and other animals. The smell of a waterfall of an ocean is a mood lifter because of the ions. It’s proven.
Yes! Snow does have a smell. Before it snows there is a cold fresh smell to the air which intensifies when it finally falls. I can close my eyes where ever I am and bring up the memory of it. And on a clear cold winter night…
i absolutely believe snow has a smell…it has been my favorite smell in all the world since childhood..the cold, crisp, clean smell in the air when its about to or has snowed. nothing else so pure. i wish i could bottle it! i miss it when winter is gone.
Clean snow is pure water, which has no odor. If you smell something before it snows, or on snow, it is a contaminant of some kind in the atmosphere or in the snow.
And this is why I’m at this article today. Was talking to the bus driver on my way to work, as it was overcast, she said ‘think it will snow?’ I replied, ‘no. Smells more like rain.’ Then she asked, ‘what does snow smell like?’ Hence, I am here.
I agree with “all of the above.” I live a few miles away from a coffee roasting company in Malden. When the air is saturated with moisture prior to a storm and the wind is blowing out of the northwest, the air has that unique smell of coffee and winter bite of air. When the wind blows from the northeast, it carries the aroma of baking bread from the bakery up the street. I know it’s not the actual smell of snow. But the air never smells that way on a dry clear day.
Snow definitely has a smell, and it changes depending on how long it’s been around. It’s been many years since I lived (also born and raised) in western Massachusetts, and although I live in South Texas, I can still conjure up the smell of snow. Fresh and crisp. There’s a difference between powder and wet snow as well.
You aren’t missing anything. Because that snow smell is long gone and has been replaced by a burnt coffe/chemical smell. I also used to live in western mass and it started there around 2006ish. I moved to Maine around 2012 and it didn’t start here until end of 2015. It’s snowing right now and it smells horrible!! Everyone can smell it. I really miss how snow used to smell! Especially here in the woods. ?
Snow absolutely has a smell. And you can definitely smell it before it falls. Kind of a musty steel smell? I don’t know, it’s hard to describe but it definitely does and I Love It!
YES!!! My friends didn’t believe me when I told them I could smell snow; I was half sure I was going crazy. The other day it snowed where I live, and the previous day I had walked outside and the air smelled like snow. It’s really hard to explain, it’s like a cold, clean, crisp smell but at the same time, it smells a little bit like wood smoke.
I grew up in Philadelphia. As a kid, I could definitely tell if it was going to snow. I was always right but often right. First…the winter weather would get unexpectedly warmer. It didn’t always proceed a snow storm but I’d say, warmer winter weather was an indication that it might snow. Then there was the smell. Cold winter air is very dry. If it warmed up and the air smelled moister…good chance it was going to snow.
A theory a colleague of mine had when I mentioned this, and he agreed about these indicators, is that when the winter air warms up it has a higher capacity to hold moisture. Doesn’t meant there is moisture around but it there is, it can and will suck up as much as it can. Or…the warmer air that come along is already moist from wherever it came from. Either way, you now have conditions you can sense and are precursors to potential precipitation.
Of course, these winter warm days don’t last. They are an aberration. So…the cold comes back. Now the air can’t hold as much moisture and it falls down in cold air and turns to snow or sleet.
But way does snow smell different after it falls to the ground and lays there?
THAT I don’t know. I think it’s the increased humidity maybe, just from so much frozen water around. But that’s not really available as moisture in the air…I don’t think.
And to me…snow on the ground smell sort of like a musty damp basement, but far more subtle and cleaner smelling. More appealing than repulsive like musty dampness. And it has a twinge of a metallic or rusty smell. Yes, I know there is an explanation of for the smell of rust…it’s not rust…it’s rust’s reaction with the oils in human skin. Is this related to the smell of snow? I don’t’ know.
I wonder if anyone else would describe the smell of snow that way.
Wish I could edit the bad grammar spellings in this post. Yikes !
To me snow smells clean with a hint of negative ions. I wonder if the nitrogen snow gleans from the air while drifting down doesn’t create a negative ion balance to the flakes?
As a child growing up in Shelburne Falls, MA., upon arrizing I could always smell a sweet softness to the air before I even looked out the window, on days it was snowing. It gave me energy and loved how it made me feel. The scent is faint, but it has that sweet subtle heaviness which is different. I hadn’t thought about this in years, but the memories came flooding back. Thank you for bringing it up.
As a young child in the 50’s and 60’s growing up in Shelburne Falls, MA., upon arrizing I could always smell a sweet softness to the air before I even looked out the window, on days it was snowing. It gave me energy and loved how it made me feel. The scent is faint, but it has that sweet subtle heaviness which is different. I hadn’t thought about this in years, but the memories came flooding back. Thank you for bringing it up.
Are you old enough to remember freshly washed clothes being hung on a line to dry? Do you remember what the bedsheets smelled like? That, to me is what snow smells like – clean and fresh.
Oh, yes, snow has a smell. While clean and fresh seem close, that’s still not quite the way to describe it. Rain has a scent as well.
Yes, snow has a faint, but clean distinct smell. I miss it.
How many people that have commented on this article have red hair?
I have red hair, I can always smell snow before it falls.
Bob,
Massena NY
Come to think of it, a new winter coat smells different after it’s been in the snow. I haven’t thought of that since I was a kid!
I live in the PNW and grew up in Eastern Washington. Growing up we always had big flakey calm snowfall with a very particular smell. Every time it snows the smell of the snow brings me back to being a child. To me it smells slightly metallic with a slight chlorine smell. Its strange it doesn’t necessarily smell like a clean smell to me. My question is, is there a name for the smell of snow?
Yes, snow does smell. Different snows each have their own scent. What does it smell like? It smells like snow. Just as balsam has a distinct scent, so does snow.
I don’t think snow has a smell. What I think happens is it wipes the air clean of what we’ve been smelling, unnoticed actually, so no longer exists. It’s been scrubbed clean by the falling crystals.
I think I agree with you. The fact that the air is particularly cold and sharp when you draw in that huge breath accentuates it. Ahhh… I love winter!!
I agree with you both! What Fragrance I detect is more of a forest smell. Ponderosa pines, cedars, junipers that are laden with the white stuff! Crisp clean air…quiet.
This is true, the molecules move slowly when it’s cold enough to snow. This means that people don’t smell snow, they notice the lack of normal odors and aromas.
I do remember the smell of snow, on it’s way, falling and then on ground. But most of all remember the quiet of the world when it snows. Al seemed well with the world. Loved it, and miss it every winter.
Agree! Nothing better than to walk outside either during or right after a snowfall. The quiet and beauty is fascinating.
I always know when it’s going to snow, before it snows, but why does it smell wonderful at night in New England, is it the trees giving off oxygen?
What an interesting article and comments! I was born with anosmia, so I have never been able to smell. I read a lot and books (and people) describe so many wonderful smells. I mean, if you are going to be without one of your senses, I suppose that is the one not to have, but I so often wonder about the scent of things. Baking bread, apples, grass, flowers, and I’ve always wondered about snow. Scent is like a whole extra dimension to things I cannot access. So I really enjoyed reading the comments and thoughts on this!
I have thought about the smell of snow a lot. I feel there is something sweet there but very faint…like fresh, sweet corn.
My dad told me that when I was wee and probably spending most of my time outdoors that I would look up take a deep sniff and say it’s going to snow. He said I was a good at forecasting
Walking along a beach while or after it snows is such a wonderful experience.
The snow along the ocean has almost a mild salty smell. Love it and would miss
The smell if I moved away from the ocean. But, one question; where is the snow??
New England hasn’t had very much snow in the last few years. I miss the BIG
Storms that moved through our area in the winter. What happened???