Snow in NE

So much snow!  Everywhere.  I looked across the street this afternoon as I shoveled, and could only see the top of the baseball hat of my neighbor.  No joke .  The mounds of snow on the street are taller than people.  The mounds (or should I say mountains?) of snow in the parking lots at local shopping venues are often two stories high and wider than a small house.  It’s unreal.  And snowing again tomorrow.  Possibly snowing on Saturday.  Tomorrow will be the fifth snowday we have had at school. 

Since December, between snow and being sick, I have not worked a full week of school. 

The sounds of plows have become common, as has the list of school closures, and of waiting behind cars to get down one two way streets when someone is parked badly.  Snow-blowers are also becoming background noise and roof collapses are the new top media trend on local stations.  The potholes are becoming dangerous, one has already been filled at the end of the street because it was the size of a compact car.  I just got off the phone with DPW reporting another one.

2/2/11

Groundhog Day brings more of the same, ironically.  Although this time on top of the light fluffy snow, is ice rain, soon to change to ice pellets.  I wasn’t aware that there was such a weather phenomenon as ice pellets, but they are being forecast.  It is cold and wet.  I can’t imagine the driving conditions that this will create. 

2/511

What I’ve Learned:

• There are such thing as ice pellets: they can fall from the sky.
• There are ice dams:  those can occur on roofs and cause leaks
• Roof rakes also exsist:  roof rakers are in high demand and people are waiting in “lines” of 100 people to get the service.
• Ice can be melted in high places such  as roofs with heating coils.  These can be easily installed, if one is so inclined to climb onto a roof and install one, and they can prevent ice dams and such.
• Building codes for roofs are different in the climate zones in New England.  Places that tend to get more snow fall have more stringent codes for constructing roofs that will hold said snowfall.  This lessens the chances of roof collapses.  What great common sense.
• Shoveling snow burns a lot of calories.  Like a ton.  800 per hour for heavy wet snow.  This increase and decrease according to the consistency of the snow.  Having said this, New Englanders will be very buff by the end of this season.  My husband already has a six pack.
• Snow blowers are very dangerous.  Not only can they chop off fingers, toes, and other appendages, but they can catch on fire.  Boston.com even featured an article on what to do if one did chop off one’s finger in a snow blowing accident.
• Sink holes can appear suddenly in such conditions.  The DPW  will attend to them immediately if it seems that a small car could be swallowed by one in the immediate future.  Apparently they also have to be deep and dangerous.  Six foot by ten foot holes in the side streets of Medford do not warrant such attention.
• Pushing neighbor’s cars out of the snow to stop the beeping from the line of cars accruing down the street will lessen the chance of waking a sleeping baby. 
• Most people are helpful in such cases, some clearly cannot handle this weather anymore.