What's the word for the sound of snow sliding down a roof?

Question

So I'm trying to describe a scene set in winter, and I've this sentence I can't write to my satisfaction. Basically, I'm at a loss trying to figure out the precise verb that should go into the blank space. The sentence is:

The lull of the winter night was broken by the intermittent --- of snow sliding down the metal roofs.

I assume you get the picture. I don't have the word for this type of sound. The closest candidates I found are swish/swoosh, but I've reservations as to their felicity.

Could anyone please supply the appropriate verb for the given context? (Bonus points if some writer of note has used the sought word in a similar setting.)

Answer 1

The sound is whoosh and the action is slide.

The lull of the winter night was broken by the intermittent whoosh of snow sliding off the tin roofs.

From the Oxford English Dictionary (login required):

whoosh, v.

2. transitive. To cause to move rapidly with a rushing sound. Also figurative. Const. up, to enliven.

DERIVATIVES

whoosh n. a sound of this nature (also reduplicated); also, an exclamation ‘whoosh!’; a movement accompanied by a rushing sound; a gushing or ‘whooshing’ style.

From Billy at billy.com:

Is a Metal Roof Right For You?
. . . metal roof owners will be pleased when, as the sun heats the roof up, they hear the whoosh of a small avalanche as the snow slides off the house.

I can’t vouch for the notability of these writers, but . . .

Every noise outside the house distracted her, the whoosh of the snow sliding off the roof, the crack of a branch.
_{Christmas In Delaney Mountain}

The truth hit me with a whoosh, a heap of snow sliding off the roof.
_{North by Night: A Story of the Underground Railroad}

. . . a place where at night you will listen to the whoosh of the snow sliding off the roof.
_{The Mountaineer}

More at Google; search ”whoosh” “snow” “sliding” “roof”.

 

Answer 2

A Canadian's perspective: It depends on how you want to convey the image of the quantity of sliding snow. Having frequently heard the sound (and on occasions been frightened by it - especially in the middle of the night), I like the "the grumble of snow sliding off the roof" (relatively small quantity, slow movement) or, with a thaw in process, "the roar of the accumulated winter's snow being dumped from the roof" (huge quantity, rapid movement, nightmares).

David

Answer 3

whisper (n.)

Figurative. A soft rustling sound resembling or suggesting that of a whispering voice. OED

Literary A soft rustling or murmuring sound. Lexico

---

Yet through it all he heard the whisper of snow seeping beneath the doors, seething along the floor toward his father lying there on the concrete, motionless, looking nowhere and breathing nothing. David Wroblewski; The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

Earlier he had glimpsed the evening star through the scudding clouds, but now the clouds had thickened and he heard the whisper of snow being driven against the window panes. J. Sawyer and G. Devon; A Christmas to Cherish

Every time he stopped to breathe, he could hear the whisper of melting snow sliding down the cliff around him... Heather Albano; Timebound

Answer 4

Having no context, I would alter the line as follows:

The still of the winter night was interrupted only by the occasional sound of snow racing down the metal roofs.

Answer 5

I propose

The lull of the winter night was broken by the occasional slithering of snow [racing] down the tin roofs.

I would leave out racing.

From Lexico

slither
_VERB

1 Move smoothly over a surface with a twisting or oscillating motion.
1.1 Slide or slip unsteadily on a loose or slippery surface.

we slithered down a snowy mountain track

Answer 6

whoosh is not quite right -- it suggests speed. Olympic bobsleighs whoosh. If I were writing your piece, I would use crump, which Wiktionary defines as "the sound of a muffled explosion".

And "racing down" is also too fast. I would say "sliding down" or "sliding off".

Answer 7

As someone who lived in the northeast, I would propose rustling

Let not the creaking of shoes nor the rustling of silks betray thy poor heart to woman. Keep thy foot out of brothels, thy hand out of plackets, thy pen from lenders' books, and defy the foul fiend. -King Lear Act III Scene IV (Page 4), Shakespeare

Generally rustling applies to lighter objects (that reach a somewhat higher frequency when there is some sort of friction). Thus, depending on the intensity of the snow (viscosity, stickiness, volume, velocity etc.) and what is causing it to slide in the first place.

Alternatives may be crackling, murmuring as per the aforementioned conditions.

Answer 8

If you want a poetic word, susurrus (or susurration) might work. It is often used to indicate a low natural background sound, similar to whispering or murmuring, such as leaves in the wind, water flowing in a stream, etc.

Answer 9

I would go with this suggestion "The lull of the winter night was broken by the intermittent whoosh of snow sliding off the tin roofs"