Spanish Words for Snow and Winter Weather

An urban legend has it that the Eskimo language has 25 (or many more, depending on the version) words for snow. While the statement is seriously flawed, it does have some truth to it: Living languages, by their very nature, come up with the words or means to describe nearly everything that people talk about and to differentiate among them. While Spanish may not be a language instantly associated with snow — most Spanish-speaking countries are in moderate climates — it has plenty of words and phrases for the white stuff, as this listing shows. Words and Phrases for Snow and Related Phenomena el agua nieve, el aguanieve: sleet, rain mixed with snowel chubasco: intense snow showerla conchesta: large snowdriftcopo, copo de nieve: snowflakela cornisa de nieve: cornicela cubiera de nieve: snow covercubierto de nieve: snow-coveredel cà ºmulo de nieve: snowdriftla escarcha: frostescarchado: covered with frostel glaciar: glacierla granizada: hailstormel granizo: hail, sleet, hailstone. The verb form is granizar.el granizo blando: soft hail, graupel, snow pelletla helada: frosthelado: (adjective) frozen, very coldel hielo: icela nevada: snowfall; the amount of snow that has fallen over a period of time without interruptionel nevado: snow-capped mountain, snowcap (Latin American usage)nevar: to snow (The Spanish verb is defective in that it is used only in the third-person singular form.)la nevasca: fallen snow, snowfall, snowstorm, blizzardla nevazà ³n: snowstorm (word used in parts of South America)el nevero: permanent mountain snowfield or the snow in such a snowfieldla nieve : snowla nieve amontanada: driven snowla nieve artificial: artificial snowla nieve derretida: melted snow, snowbrothla nieve dura: crusty snow, packed snowla nieve fresca: fresh snowla nieve fusià ³n: snow that becomes almost liquid when it is skied or slid uponla nieve hà ºmeda: wet snowla nieve medio derretida: slushla nieve polvo: powder snow; a more colloquial term is nieve azà ºcar. meaning sugar snowla nieve primaveral: spring snowlas nieves: snowfallla nieve seca: dry snowla nieve virgen: virgin snowla piedra: hailstone (the word can refer to any type of stone)la rà ¡faga: flurry (the word can also be used to refer to a rain shower)la tormenta de nieve: snowstormla ventisca: blizzardventiscar, ventisquear: to blow snow with a strong wind, to blow a blizzardel ventisquero: snowdrift Spanish Words for Items or Situations Related to Snow aislado por la nieve: snowbound, snowed under, snowed inel alud: avalanchela avalancha: avalanchebloqueado por la nieve: snowbound, snowed under, snowed inla bolita de nieve, la bola de nieve: snowballlas cadenas para nieve: snow chainscegado por la nieve: snow-blindel esquà ­: skiesquiar: to skila motonieve: snowmobileel muà ±eco de nieve: snowmanla quitanieve, la quitanieves: snowplowla raqueta de nieve: snowshoeel snowboard: snowboardla tabla para nieve: snowboardel traje de invierno: snowsuit, winter clothing Translations of English Words or Phrases Using snow Blancanieves: Snow Whitetomarle el pelo a alguien: to do a snow job on someonela nieve, la cocaà ­na: snow (slang term meaning cocaine)el raspado: snowcone (term used in parts of Latin America) Sample Sentences Siguià ³ nevando todo el dà ­a. (It kept on snowing  all day.)Si has llegado a tu destino y continà ºa granizando, no salgas del coche hasta que pare o se debilite la tormenta. (If you have arrived at your destination and it keeps on hailing, dont leave your car until it stops or the storm weakens.)El frà ­o de la noche originà ³ una capa de hielo en el parabrisas. (The cold of the night created a layer of ice on the windshield.)La nieve dura es una de las nieves mà ¡s difà ­ciles de esquiar. (Packed snow is one of the most difficult snows for skiing.)El nieve polvo de Colorado es legendaria. (The powder snow of Colorado is legendary.)Los turistas de la motonieve han llegado a la meta, totalmente agotados pero muy satisfechos. (The snowmobile tourists have arrived at the destination, totally worn out but very satisfied.)Corrà ­amos el riesgo de quedar bloqueados por la nieve. (We ran the risk of remaining snowed in.)Una fuerte nevada cayà ³ en las altas cumbres, donde la g ente llegà ³ a armar muà ±ecos. (A heavy snowfall fell in the high peaks, where people arrived to build snowmen.)