Snow

Obtaining

Breaking

In Java Edition, destroying snow with a non-Silk-Touch shovel yields one snowball per layer. Explosions by TNT or creepers also cause snow to yield a snowball. Snow drops itself when mined using a shovel enchanted with Silk Touch. Any other tool, even if enchanted with Silk Touch, destroys the snow and drops nothing.

In Bedrock Edition, destroying snow with a shovel yields 1-4 snowballs. The number of snowballs acquired is as follows: 1 snowball for snow layers 0-2, 2 snowballs for snow layers 3-4, 3 snowballs for snow layers 5-6 and 4 snowballs for snow layer 7 and full snow blocks. Unlike Java Edition, shovels enchanted with Silk Touch cause snow to drop snowballs. Snow can also be removed by using a shovel on it if there is no block directly above the snow layer, yielding 1-4 snowballs. One snowball is dropped - regardless of the amount of layers - if snow falls into an invalid block space after its support block is destroyed.

Natural generation

Snow naturally generates in snowy biomes, cold biomes, and other biomes depending on the elevation and temperature. Only blocks with direct access to the sky can generate snow layers naturally (with the exception of some snowy villages, which are intentionally made to generate extra snow in areas inaccessible to the sky).^[1]

Snow generates where there is sky access atop buildings in snowy taiga villages.‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}

Snow generates as piles and in multiple layers as part of many snowy plains village structures.

Snow generates exclusively in single layers in Java Edition, but can generate in multiple layers in Bedrock Edition.

Snow also generates in ancient cities.

Crafting

Post-generation

Weather

In snowy biomes or in cold biomes at higher altitudes, the weather can produce snow instead of rain. In snowy weather, snow generates on random blocks with a complete solid top surface at integer y-values, with a block light level of 9 or less, with the exception of ice and packed ice.

Below are the altitudes at which rain ends and snow begins, depending on the biome. The exact height of the snow line is randomized: take taiga for example, the lowest possible snow layer forms at y level 153, and the lowest height where snow forms at all locations is y=168, with snow lines ranging between y levels 153 and 168 across different locations.

In Bedrock Edition, up to two layers of top snow can build up during snowfall. In Java Edition, snowfall creates one layer of snow by default, and the number of layers that can accumulate can be altered by the game rule snowAccumulationHeight: setting it to 0 makes no snow form at all, and setting it to 8 or above lets snow form up to the level of a full block.

Snow layers do not generate if the game rule doWeatherCycle has been set to false.‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}

Snow golems

Snow golems generate a trail of snow in snowy, cold, and some medium biomes, or any non-dry biome in Bedrock Edition.

Usage

Snow can be placed only on a solid block that is not ice. In Java Edition, snow breaks if its support block is removed. In Bedrock Edition, snow is affected by gravity and falls if it becomes unsupported, and breaks if it falls onto an unsuitable block. A player can jump up 1 block and 3 snow layers.

Cover

If the snow is on a grass block (or mycelium or podzol in Java Edition^[2]) the ground cover turns white on the top and around the sides. Snow does not damage tilled and hydrated field areas – it cannot be placed on farmland. A gravity-affected block like sand or gravel does not fall if snow covers the block below it, but the gravity-affected block does replace a snow layer when falling onto it. The texture of the grass block changes to snowy when a single layer of snow is placed on top.^[3][4] Thicker layers of snow causes the grass block to revert to plain dirt when the block receives a random tick, similar to regular grass when covered by an opaque block. A plain dirt block with a single layer of snow on top gains a snowy texture if grass spreads to it.

In Bedrock Edition, if leaves are topped with a layer of snow, particles of snow appear to fall through the leaves from the snow layer.

In Bedrock Edition, snow layers can occupy the same space as one-block flowers, mushrooms, and one-block ferns and grass, (however two-block tall plants do not work)^[5] and can be layered and mined normally. Placing snow on already-existing plant blocks causes snow to appear around them, but placing plants into an area where there is snow removes the snow.^[6]

Snow layers can be used to kill nylium.^[7]

Melting

Snow melts if there is a heat block,‌^{[BE & edu only]} or block light level of 12 or more. In Bedrock Edition, it also melts in dry biomes, regardless of block light or daylight level. If there are multiple layers, layers melt gradually in Bedrock Edition, but they melt all at once in Java.

Some light sources can melt snow but many cannot. The melt radius is taxicab distance.

Foxes

When a fox gets stuck in the snow after missing an attack on prey, it emits particles as it emerges from the snow.

Sounds

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Block states

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

History

This page would benefit from the addition of more images. 

Please remove this notice once you've added suitable images to the article.
The specific instructions are: Appearance when affected by MC-50254

Java Edition Classic
May 20, 2009					Notch briefly mentioned, "Winter is an awesome idea. I can see snow and tiles slowly getting covered in a layer of snow. Also, ice on lakes. :D"
May 21, 2009					Notch reveals that snow "on top of topmost tiles" was on his to-do list.
Java Edition Alpha
v1.0.4					Snowfall has been added to maps only in winter mode. When creating a new save, a map has a 1/4 chance of having worldwide snowfall. When falling on exposed land, a thin snow layer is created.
					Snow can not fall onto any non solid blocks, and instead falls through them. The exception to this is leaves.
v1.0.5					Disturbing a snow layer by any means other than replacing it now causes a snowball to drop. This includes melting and mining snow or the block under it.
					A player can now easily harvest snow by placing a block of water. By doing so, the player receives a large amount of snowballs with little effort.
					Snow can now fall onto many non solid blocks including glass, stairs, slabs, doors, signs, and pressure plates.
v1.0.5_01					Snowballs can now be harvested from snow only by using with shovels.
v1.0.17					Snow can no longer fall on non solid blocks, including leaves. Any snow on top of non solid blocks break given a block update.
v1.2.0		preview			With the removal of Winter Mode, snow can no longer regenerate.
Java Edition Beta
1.5					Stacked snow layers have been added. They do not generate naturally and cannot be placed. Layers 1-3 have no collision, while 4-8 all have a half block collision.
					Snow regeneration has now returned as part of the new weather features.[8]
					Snow can now occur in arctic biomes.
1.7					The side textures of snow layers 1-7 are now aligned to the bottom of the block instead of the top.
1.8		Pre-release			Snow biomes have been temporarily removed as Notch is currently trying to improve them.
					Dropped snow layer items no longer appear larger than normal blocks.
Java Edition
1.0.0		Beta 1.9 Prerelease			Snow biomes have been re-added.
					Snow now occurs in tundra biomes, as well as arctic biomes.
1.3.1		12w21a			Snow has been made available in the creative inventory.
1.5		13w05a			Snow can now be crafted and is obtainable in Survival mode.
					Stacked snow layers now have correct collisions, and can be placed.
?					Single snow layers now have collision. Walking on top of them is equivalent to walking atop a full block below them.
?					Single snow layers no longer have collision.
1.8		14w28b			The number of snowballs dropped from snow has been increased from 1-8 to 2-9, depending on thickness.
1.13		17w47a			The ID of snow has been changed from snow_layer to snow.
					Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 78.
					Layer 1 snow now has empty collision instead of solid collision of height 0, allowing entities to once again pass through it.
1.14		18w43a			The texture of snow has been changed.
		18w49a			Snow now generate in the updated snowy tundra villages.
		19w03c			Seven layer high snow now uses correct cullface arguments.
1.19		22w13a			Snow now generate as part of ancient cities.
1.19.3		22w44a			Added the game rule snowAccumulationHeight.
Pocket Edition Alpha
Pre-release					Added snow to the world generation.
v0.4.0					The model of snow has been changed.
v0.8.0		build 2			Added snow to the Creative mode inventory.
v0.12.1		build 1			Stacked snow layers have been added. They can be placed. Layers 1-3 have no collision, while 4-8 all have a half block collision.
					Snow is now affected by gravity, so that unsupported snow layers show falling dust particles.
					Snow can now be placed inside flowers, mushrooms and tall grass.
					Snow is now obtained by using a shovel on it. Previously, snow was mined like any dirt-type block.
Bedrock Edition
1.2.0		?			Snow layers can now generate in extreme hills biomes.
1.10.0		beta 1.10.0.3			The texture of snow has been changed.
1.16.0		beta 1.15.0.51			Snow now drops itself when mined with a Silk Touch shovel.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1	CU1	1.0	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added snow.
TU54	CU44	1.52	Patch 24	1.0.4	Snow can now be placed on top of upside-down stairs.
TU69	CU57	1.76	Patch 38		Snow is now affected by gravity.
		1.90			The texture of snow has been changed.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0					Added snow.

Issues

Issues relating to "Snow", "Snow layer", or "Top snow" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Trivia

• Snow can be stacked to a full block beside a cactus without destroying the cactus.
• Snow layers of 2 to 7 thickness prevent hostile mobs from spawning.
• In Spectator mode, a player positioned at the correct height can see the snowy texture of the top of the grass blocks.

Gallery

Java Edition

• 

  Naturally generated snow in a snowy plains biome.

• 

  Naturally generated snow in an ice spikes biome.

• 

  Naturally generated snow in a snowy taiga biome.

• 

  Naturally generated snow in windswept hills.

• 

  Floating snow.

Bedrock Edition

• 

  Naturally generated snow in a snowy taiga.

• 

  Snow as seen having the ability to bury certain plants.

Notes

References