# snow ball in dry ice

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-ball-in-dry-ice/391075>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 6, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-ball-in-dry-ice/391075 "2007-02-06T15:19:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![farbus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58956e/32.png) [@farbus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/farbus)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-ball-in-dry-ice/391075/1 "2007-02-06T15:19:43Z")

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Hello,

If I packed a snowball in a container with dry ice (which has a temp of 109 below, I think) would it change into ice or would it remain as snow, due to the increased colder temperature?

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**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2007, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-ball-in-dry-ice/391075/2 "2007-02-06T15:52:50Z")

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AFAIK, snow is ice. Not densely packed ice, but still ice.

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**Author:** ![farbus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58956e/32.png) [@farbus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/farbus)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2007, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-ball-in-dry-ice/391075/3 "2007-02-06T20:46:48Z")

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thanks for the reply. I guess I should have been more specific in my question. I’d like to mail a snowball to a friend who lives in California. Was wondering if I shipped in a container packed with dry ice overnight, whether it would still remain in the same physical condition or if it would just be a block of ice when it gets to my friend.

Again, many thanks for your help!

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2007, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-ball-in-dry-ice/391075/4 "2007-02-06T21:25:24Z")

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Over a period of weeks to months, snow crystals may meld and transform into an icy mass. However, dry ice should keep your snowball intact and fluffy for a merely overnight trip to CA.

The Postal service is [picky about handling dry ice shipments](http://pe.usps.gov/text/pub52/pub52c_027.html), as are other carriers, so you’ll want to check with them before mailing.

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**Author:** ![farbus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58956e/32.png) [@farbus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/farbus)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2007, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-ball-in-dry-ice/391075/5 "2007-02-07T01:16:45Z")

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[QUOTE=Squink]  
Over a period of weeks to months, snow crystals may meld and transform into an icy mass. However, dry ice should keep your snowball intact and fluffy for a merely overnight trip to CA.

The Postal service is [picky about handling dry ice shipments](http://pe.usps.gov/text/pub52/pub52c_027.html), as are other carriers, so you’ll want to check with them before mailing.  
[/QUOTE]

Alright! Glad to hear that everything will be okay. Thanks so much