This year, December arrived and ushered in the holiday season with a beautiful blanket of snow! My kids were excited that it already felt like Christmas and happily pulled all their snow gear out of storage to rush outside and play. It may not have been the same welcome adults gave the snowfall, but while snow can feel like a hassle—shoveling sidewalks, scraping windshields, and tracking slush inside—it’s also incredibly valuable for the landscape!
Why Snow Is Good for Your Trees and Landscape
After a fall that brought fairly typical moisture levels for Nebraska, fresh snowfall now helps maintain healthy soil moisture as we transition into winter. That said, it takes a lot of snow to provide adequate watering for our landscape plants. Still, even small snowfalls offer valuable benefits that go well beyond moisture alone.
First, soil consists of a network of pores filled with both air and water. These pores primarily contain air, and without sufficient soil moisture, the air in them remains dry—especially in cold conditions. Continued exposure to cold, dry air can be damaging to the fine roots and root hairs in the upper layers of the soil, potentially compromising plant health in the long term. Hence, we continually preach about ensuring your trees and shrubs are well watered, even in winter.
Second, soil moisture modulates temperature fluctuations. Moist soil warms slower than dry soil, and, especially during our typical winter warm spells, adequate soil moisture may help keep your plants from initiating a too-early break from dormancy.
Snow cover is also important for its insulating properties. The amount of moisture in snowfall varies depending on several factors and is vital for two reasons. Much like moisture content, it is hard to make a general statement about how much insulation snow cover provides. The type of snow crystals, their moisture content, and the thickness of the layer all affect the number and size of the air pockets between the crystals. These air pockets, like those present in the insulation in our homes and winter coats, inhibit heat transfer and moderate temperatures at the soil level. Yes, the ground might be frozen – but it is unlikely to be as cold as the air temperature if there is a layer of snow. Depending on a plant’s cold hardiness rating, additional exposure to incrementally colder temperatures could be the difference between success and failure.
While we may not be happy when the forecast tells us to be ready for snow, we can still be grateful for the benefits it brings.
How Much Moisture Did the Snow Really Bring?
The amount of moisture in snowfall varies depending on several factors. You’ve likely heard the old rule of thumb that 10 inches of snow equals about 1 inch of water—a 10:1 snow-to-water ratio. However, more recent research suggests that a 12:1 ratio is closer to average for much of the Upper Midwest. Even so, snow ratios can vary widely, even within a single storm. Several factors influence how much water snow actually contains. According to the National Weather Service, those factors include the following:
- Temperature: Snow that falls closer to freezing tends to be wetter and heavier, producing lower snow ratios. Colder temperatures usually mean lighter, fluffier snow—and higher ratios.
- Cloud composition: Storms with more ice crystals tend to create fluffier snow with higher ratios, while storms with more supercooled water droplets produce wetter, heavier snow.
- Wind: Wind can fracture delicate snowflakes, breaking down their lacy structure and leading to lower accumulations.
- Deep cold: Generally promotes higher snow ratios and lighter, drier snow.
What does this mean for your landscape? A foot of light, fluffy snow may contribute less actual moisture than a few inches of heavy, wet snow—but both still provide valuable insulation and protection for roots through winter. So while snowfall totals often grab our attention, it’s what’s inside that snow—moisture, insulation, and soil protection—that truly matters for trees and landscapes.
