South Louisiana was 'blessed' with a historic amount of snow on January 21, 2025 in the form of winter storm Enzo. I was one of many who were excited by the opportunity to actually build a snow man instead of a snow mouse but found it impossible to do so. The snow wasn't cooperating, and as this was my first real snow experience had no idea what was going on.

That's one of the wonderful things about the internet, you can learn some amazing things, and can answer questions you never thought to ask. The question 'Why Can't I Build a Snowman' garnered quite a few results, all with similar answers. If you're not familiar with the types of snow, here's your quick tutorial.

What type of snow is good for making snowmen?

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If you woke up on Tuesday morning and saw beautiful, white blankets of snow, congratulations, you've most likely got a dry snow. Consider it similar to dry sand. It feels awesome, but its very difficult to make a castle out of it. The same problem arises with dry snow (ironic, since snow is made of water, right?). If the snow is too dry it won't hold up to any pressure and collapse.

If you woke up on Wednesday morning and noticed the surface of the snow had a crust, you likely have the opportunity to make a good snowman as it has just enough moisture to hold things together. This is all well and good until Thursday as the temperatures start to rise.

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If you woke up on Thursday and noticed the snow didn't sound like it used to, now it's much firmer and approaching ice status, you've got wet snow, which once again won't hold up under the weight, as well as friction and other science-type terms that prevent it from being molded into a snowman.

Consider snow with the Goldilocks rule - not too dry, not too wet, just right. It's easier if you have dry to snow to add a little moisture so the snow has a chance to stick to itself and hold up. I learned this a little too late and will only have to wait another 100 years to try again in south Louisiana.

Some of our neighbors to the north have experience in snowmen. Some more than others. Enjoy their builds and get some inspiration for the next winter storm.

Indiana & Kentucky's Best, Worst, and Most Creative Snowmen from the Jan Snowstorm

I asked the tri-state to share their snow creations and boy, did you deliver. Here are my favorites.

Gallery Credit: ASHLEY SOLLARS

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