# Laying snow **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 27, 2009, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277 "2009-01-27T20:34:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277/41 "2009-01-28T19:27:24Z")
Michigan, sticks is used. At least in my family, which has a Kansas influence. “Sticks” wouldn’t even make me bat an eye. I tend to use “accumulates” or “accumulation,” but then I’m strange. ---
**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277/42 "2009-01-28T20:58:34Z")
Wow, you learn something new every day. I’m a 40 year old Western Pennsylvanian (grew up in Pittsburgh) who’s never, and I mean NEVER, heard anybody use a term other than “laying” to describe snow accumulation (exception is weather people on tv who always say “accumulation”). I can’t believe I lived this long and didn’t know that this was a regional term. ---
**Author:** ![degan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@degan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/degan)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277/43 "2012-02-25T17:54:18Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Born and raised in Philadelphia and know the Philly burbs and South Jersey inside out and never heard ‘snow laying’ until I read this. That’s funny. I am also born and raised in Phila and now live in the Phila suburbs, and “laying” is the word that I hear/use almost exclusively. In fact, reading this post is the first indication I’ve ever had that it is not universally used. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277/44 "2012-02-25T17:57:04Z")
degan, What socioeconomic strata are you from? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277/45 "2012-02-25T18:08:10Z")
Zombie thread acknowledged… ‘Laying’ is the term most commonly used here in the UK (at least in my experience/locality). Same idea as laying a carpet, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277/46 "2012-02-25T18:27:53Z")
zombie or no sticks or accumulates ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277/47 "2012-02-25T18:58:21Z")
Weird. Grew up in Bethesda and Rockville Maryland, then Valley Forge area in PA, family in Chatanooga, don’t recall ever hearing ‘lay’. People identify my accent as Balmer Merlin too. ‘Layer’ of snow, yes. But not ‘lay’. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277/48 "2012-02-25T19:17:01Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > In my neighbourhood snow _settles_, it doesn’t stick. Actually, it does neither any more, as British winters seem to be officially dead. Noting that you posted this in Jan 2009, and the three winters Britain has experienced since then, can I ask you to be more careful in future, and not to idly comment on say, the lack of earthquakes or how few plagues seem to be happening recently. With great power comes great responsibility. By the way, in Ireland we would say the snow is ‘lying’. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277/49 "2012-02-25T21:11:11Z")
I now live in Charleston, SC. What is this thing called “snow”? 🙂 Seriously, folks, I lived in Illinois for many years. We referred to snow sticking when it does not melt upon contact with the ground. Often, the temps may be below freezing but due to the ground still being warm, the snow will not stick. Sometimes, the temps will be above freezing, but due to the heaviness of the fall, it will stick and accumulate. Never heard of “laying,” “lying,” or other words other than “accumulating” referring to snow accumulation. Usually, the question would be, “How much is there [on the ground]?” ---
**Author:** ![Jasper\_Kent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@Jasper\_Kent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasper_Kent)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277/50 "2012-02-25T21:24:11Z")
> [@hellpaso](#): > > West Tennessee (Memphis)–snow “sticks”. > East Tennessee (Chattanooga)–snow “lays”. Here in Chattanooga, snow rarely lays or sticks. But when it does snow, I’d say it _sticks_ when it doesn’t melt upon contact with the ground. It only _lays_ if there’s significant accumulation. In Chattanooga, that mean more than half an inch. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277/51 "2012-02-25T21:49:01Z")
Upstate New York and Central North Carolina – snow which does not immediately melt off “sticks” … accumnulate is more likely to be a TV weatherman term but isn’t out of place in conversation either. “Lays” is what you hope will happen because she can’t go home yet because the snow is sticking. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277/52 "2012-02-25T21:52:33Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > “Lays” is what you hope will happen because she can’t go home yet because the snow is sticking. 😃 When the weather’s hot and sticky Ain’t no time for dunkin’ dickie When the frost is on the punkin That’s the time for dickie dunkin’! ---
**Author:** ![degan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@degan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/degan)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277/53 "2012-02-25T22:46:42Z")
> [@Mr.Slant](#): > > degan, > What socioeconomic strata are you from? Obama hates me. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277/54 "2012-02-25T22:54:49Z")
Deleted to remove political reference. ---
**Author:** ![Fatwater\_Fewl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4491bb/32.png) [@Fatwater\_Fewl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fatwater_Fewl)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277/55 "2012-02-25T23:28:48Z")
Snow sticks here in Prince Edward Island. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277/56 "2012-02-25T23:53:52Z")
Never heard laying in that context. ‘Sticking’ is the term for when snow starts to cover bare ground and would not be generally used for more then that initial thin covering. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2012, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277/57 "2012-02-26T04:33:39Z")
> [@barbitu8](#): > > I now live in Charleston, SC. What is this thing called “snow”? 🙂 Seriously, folks, I lived in Illinois for many years. **We referred to snow sticking when it does not melt upon contact with the ground.** Often, the temps may be below freezing but due to the ground still being warm, the snow will not stick. Sometimes, the temps will be above freezing, but due to the heaviness of the fall, it will stick and accumulate. Never heard of “laying,” “lying,” or other words other than “accumulating” referring to snow accumulation. Usually, the question would be, “How much is there [on the ground]?” CA lowlands here, where we rarely have occasion to use ANY of these words, or any others, for snow, unless we’re planning a weekend in the Sierras. The usage **barbitu8** describes is how I’ve occasionally heard it, when it happens here. It’s not necessarily _accumulating_ (depending on whether there’s any additional snow falling), but “stick” simply means that it’s cold enough so that a small amount of snow doesn’t promptly melt. I think this kind of terminology is most commonly used in describing road conditions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laying-snow/483277.md?page=2)