snowmelt

noun

snow·​melt ˈsnō-ˌmelt How to pronounce snowmelt (audio)
: runoff produced by melting snow

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Heavy rainfall and a mild air mass could cause rapid snowmelt in areas that have received several feet of snow, the National Weather Service said. Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2023 Rapid snowmelt, however, brings a host of other problems. Kylie Mohr, WIRED, 10 Dec. 2022 Flash flood concerns and evacuation orders were prompted near rivers, thanks to rapid snowmelt due to the heat in parts of southeast Alaska and British Columbia. NBC News, 28 June 2021 What’s more, the surrounding city of Valdez is the snowiest in the U.S., which translates to tons of spring waterfalls from all the snowmelt. Carrie Dennis, Travel + Leisure, 26 Feb. 2023 Crowfoot said these types of projects would be a focus this spring, including finding new ways to capture the unusually high snowmelt that came with the storms. Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2023 The anticipated snowmelt comes as Buffalo — the epicenter of the storm in Erie County — lifted its travel ban at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, following an announcement from Mayor Byron Brown late Wednesday. Kathryn Prociv, NBC News, 29 Dec. 2022 For decades, Californians have depended on the reliable appearance of spring and summer snowmelt to provide nearly a third of the state’s supply of water. Anita Chabriacolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2023 In the 2021 runoff season, thirsty soils sopped up much of the snowmelt, meaning less runoff made it to reservoirs. Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 Apr. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'snowmelt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1927, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of snowmelt was circa 1927

Dictionary Entries Near snowmelt

Cite this Entry

“Snowmelt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snowmelt. Accessed 1 Apr. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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