Eli5: Why does shovelling snow feel heavier when it’s wet? Isn’t the volume of water (snow) the same?

Question

In Toronto last night there was a big storm and today the sun’s out melting everything; shovelling today’s wet snow feels much more difficult than yesterday

In: 0

Answer 1

No, wet snow is more dense, has more water relative to air than dry fluffy snow does. Some snow might be 6” snow is equivalent 1” raise, while other snow might be 24” or more snow equal to 1” of rain.