snow line

American  

noun

1. the line, as on mountains, above which there is perpetual snow.

2. the latitudinal line marking the limit of the fall of snow at sea level.

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snow line British  

noun

1. the altitudinal or latitudinal limit of permanent snow

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snow line Scientific  

1. The boundary marking the lowest altitude at which a given area, such as the top of a mountain, is always covered with snow.

2. The boundary marking the furthest extent around the polar regions at which there is snow cover. The polar snow lines vary with the seasons.

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Etymology

Origin of snow line

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

snow line

Saturn orbits beyond what astronomers call the "snow line" in the solar system, along with other giant planets that host icy moons, including Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 18, 2025

In addition, the snow line has been creeping upward directly in response to the warming that’s taken place over the past few decades, said Alexander Gershunov, research meteorologist with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2024

A snow line hung like a bowl cut around the upper cliffs of the Grand Mesa, while in the valley some farmers were taking their last deliveries of water, sowing winter wheat and onions.

From Salon ● Dec. 23, 2022

But there are also ski destinations off the beaten track, like Greece’s Olympus Range, where Michelle Parker and McKenna Peterson pluck oranges from a grove on their way up to the snow line.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 27, 2022

Presently Will came back and then they moved on, more slowly as the day went by and the track got steeper and the snow line nearer.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman