Weather Explainers

Weather Words: Chionophile

Are you a chionophile? If you are loving this cold weather, then you might just be!

A chionophile is any organism that can survive and thrives in a cold environment. The word comes from the Greek words chion, which means “snow” and phile, which means “lover of”.

While the term is mostly used to describe plants or animals, people can also be considered a chionophile. Those of you who love snow and thrive in the harshest of winters.

An arctic fox in it's white winter phase. Taken during polar bear studies on the northern coast of Alaska.
(Mike Lockart/USGS)

Chionophiles are often found in areas that experience long, cold winters or frequent snowfall, such as polar regions or high mountain ranges.

Chionophilic plants might be able to survive under heavy snow cover and may be adapted to cold, low-light conditions. Chionophilic animals are identified as species that have evolved to handle cold temperatures, such as Arctic foxes, snow leopards, or certain birds that migrate to or live in snow-covered areas during the winter months.

So for you snow-lovers at heart, consider yourselves chionophiles, this winter season is for you.

This segment originally appeared in today's edition of the Morning Brief newsletter. Sign up here to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.

Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.

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