Canadian Winter Encyclopedia

P19 · Evergreen reference library · Editorial review 14 October 2026

A compact reference for the words Canadians hear in winter forecasts and homeowner maintenance conversations. Terms here explain general concepts, not the exact weather at your address. Use current official alerts for live decisions.

Publication scope: The Sno Guys offers residential winter services only in verified coverage areas, with Scarborough as the primary service market. Educational material about Toronto and Canada is not an offer of service across those locations.

Snow, sleet and ice

Snow: ice crystals forming in clouds and falling as frozen precipitation. Snow characteristics depend on temperature, moisture and atmospheric conditions.
Wet snow: snow with relatively high liquid-water content that can be dense and difficult to move.
Dry snow: lower-moisture snow that may be easier to push but can drift in wind.
Freezing rain: liquid precipitation that freezes on contact with surfaces at or below freezing, producing a layer of glaze ice.
Freezing drizzle: finer supercooled droplets that can deposit a thin, slippery coating.
Ice pellets: small, hard pieces of frozen precipitation; distinguish these from freezing rain on an official forecast.
Mixed precipitation: more than one precipitation type expected or observed during the same period.

Forecast and warning terminology

Weather advisory, watch or warning: official products that indicate different expected impacts or levels of concern; the wording and colour system can change, so review the detailed current ECCC alert.
Snow squall: a localized period of potentially intense snow and sharply reduced visibility, often combined with strong wind.
Blowing snow: snow picked up from the surface by wind, which can make visibility poor even when little new snow is falling.
Wind chill: an index describing how cold conditions feel on exposed skin when wind increases heat loss; it is not the thermometer temperature.
Freeze–thaw cycle: melting followed by refreezing as surfaces move above and below the freezing point.

What happens on the ground

Snowpack: accumulated layers of snow remaining on the ground.
Snowbank: a mound or ridge created by accumulation or clearing.
Windrow: a ridge left along a roadway edge or driveway entrance after municipal road clearing.
Black ice: a relatively transparent layer of ice that can be difficult to see against pavement.
Compaction: compression of snow by footsteps, tires or other pressure, often making removal more difficult.
Traction abrasive: a material such as sand used to improve grip rather than chemically melt the ice.
De-icer: a product intended to melt ice or limit its formation under suitable conditions.

Weather data and snowfall records

Observed snowfall: a measured amount of new snowfall at a specified station and time interval; not necessarily the depth on your driveway.
Snow depth: the measured depth of snow on the ground, which includes old snow and changes through settling and melting.
Precipitation total: water-equivalent precipitation that is not the same unit as depth of new snow.
Climate normal: an average computed over a reference period; the current ECCC published normal period is 1991–2020.
Station metadata: documentation of measurement location and its period of record, essential for fair historical comparisons.
Missing observation: a record gap, not proof that no snowfall occurred.

How to use this dictionary

When you encounter a term in a forecast, first check its official definition and the actual local alert details. When comparing past winters, confirm the station, dates, units and whether the source reports new snowfall, total precipitation or snow depth. For household clearing, focus on the actual condition of access routes rather than using a single term as a substitute for inspection.

Common questions

Is snow depth the same as snowfall?

No. Snow depth is the snow currently on the ground. New snowfall measures the amount falling during a specified observation period.

Can freezing rain happen when the air temperature seems above freezing?

Yes. Surface temperatures and the vertical temperature profile can differ. Trust official precipitation-type forecasts and local surface conditions.

Does an average predict this winter?

No. Climate normals summarize past conditions; they do not forecast a particular winter or snowfall event.

Official sources and further reading

These links lead to the relevant official resource, not a live feed reproduced on this site. Check their latest updates before relying on an alert, municipal rule, statistic or safety instruction.