Let it Snow

This past Sunday, December 4, the Dane County area received its first snowfall of the 2016-2017 winter season. It was a significant accumulation of about 6 inches.  I know that winter, by the calendar does not start until 17 days after Dec 4, but from a meteorological standpoint winter constitutes the months of December, January and February.    A much nicer break than having a season begin on a solstice or equinox.  Regardless of what the calendar or a meteorologist may say, we all know winter when we see it. Certainly the weather on Dec 4 felt more like winter than it did fall.  Snow brings about a number of challenges, particularly the first snow fall.  It seems that drivers often forget what snow does to roadways.  Patience and ingenuity are often required.   This post will touch on but a few of those challenges.

United States Salt Use per Lane Mile (Google)

The snow that fell this past Sunday was wet, which being laden with water made it heavy.  Having fallen on non-frozen pavement the snow would slightly melt and become saturated with water, rather than simply being nice light puffy snowflakes.  While the warm temperatures made the  snow heavy, it also promoted quicker melting. The snow on our deck was much deeper than that which resulted on the ground.  The snow was so water laden that when it was driven or walked on it became an ice pack.  Ice is not easy to drive on.  For one of the few times that I can recall after getting home from shopping, my car did not make it up our steep driveway into the garage.  Hence, before hauling groceries into the house, my wife and I shoveled the heavy wet snow from the driveway.  As the snow tapered off for the day, we again shoveled in the early evening.  Of course, as bad as the snow is on the drive, it is the huge windrow deposited by the snow plow at the end of the drive that is most heavy and difficult to remove.  With some snowfalls it takes me as long, or longer,  to clean out the end of the drive as it does to shovel the rest of the drive.

Education piece on how to limit salt use (Wisconsin Salt Wise web site)

Storms, such as we had this past Sunday, required both plowing and salting.  There is the old rule that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.  In this case the reaction may not be equal, but there is a reaction. The reaction is more than salt promoting a lower melting point. (Check out the Wisconsin Salt Wise web site here.) Salt use has increased on roadways to the point that wells are becoming polluted, Madison has one such well.  Point source providers see more and more restrictive limits coming about to decrease chlorides (and other loading levels) in waste water, which is often realtes to reducing pollutant loading in water bodies.  It is easier to regulate point source polluters over non-point source polluters.  The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District is one such point source agency feeling the pinch of increased chloride use.  They even co-sponsor workshops to educate public works staff about best methods of salt spreading, and options to than the sole use of salt.  Years ago cars had chains on their tires for winter use, later studded snow tires became popular, and now there is the use of salt, or some communities will use a salt-sand mixture.  Madison blames the contamination of its well on use of salt in winter weather.  Yet, it is not only salt on the roads, but use on private walks, drives and parking lots.  In other words, all have a part to do.  Education is needed, but no one wants to face a slip and fall lawsuit, so they, as a former Parks Director where I work would say, “burn it off.”  Not the most environmentally friendly alternative.  Water softeners also contribute chlorides to the waste stream.

A common snow figure depiction

Beyond regulations and driving, the first snow fall brings fun to children, and even some adults.  Of course, by the time February rolls around, many are wishing for spring.  I think of the winter about nine or ten years ago when the Madison area received over 100’ of snow, by late January we were well tired of the white stuff.  Even the most hardy snow enthusiasts were looking forward to spring.  But, Mother Nature’s plans seldom fit our plans.  That is why our camping trips often bring rain.   For some it could snow December 23, and melt on December 26, and see no snow for the remainder of the season.  The wet snow, and depth we had was great for both snowball fights, and making snow figures, more commonly referred to as snowmen (not knowing if snowman is an appropriate term in today’s overly sensitive politically correct society I used snow figure), are great to make with the wet snow. 

Eyes made out of coal (Google images)

Snow figure or snowman, what I do see is that arms still tend to be made out of sticks and the nose uses a carrot.  The use of these items is a long-time tradition in the snow figure building scene going back in time even before Frosty.  What Frosty also had, but today’s children have difficulty doing is building eyes out of coal.  Heck, even when I was a child, charcoal was used, and not coal, but close enough.  Coal has seen a great decline in home heating, with most homes now heated by natural gas, and a smaller number by fuel oil or propane.  The coal furnace has gone the way of the dinosaur, so perhaps too are charcoal grills going that way, hence a reduced supply of charcoal.  There are some households which do not have a grill, although statistics found on-line show that 72% of US households have a grill.   In 2015, 40% of grill sales in the United States were for charcoal grills.  Most grills sold are gas grills.  With fewer charcoal grills now available children will not be able to find a lump of charcoal for the eyes of their snow figure, much less a lump of coal in their Christmas stocking.  How distant in time is it when a child will wonder what is a piece of charcoal?  It may be only a few generations away when great grandparents will need to do the explaining. 

Chldren need no help being creative (Google images)

Today children will have to more ingenious in what they use for the eyes  than what us earlier generations had to be since our mind is ingrained with the Frosty song, which pretty much tells us how to build a snow figure.  With charcoal use in decline they need to find other items for the eyes.   Ingenuity is good, although it is sometimes sad to see tradition fade away.  The Frosty song may be replaced by eyes made out of CD’s (bug eye like), but then again we are only a generation away from someone wondering what a CD is, CD's are going the way of coal, corncob pipes and top hats.   Traditions change over time due to a variety of factors, and new items take their place.  What we do know is that the Frosty song and its television special still are based on long-held traditions of making a snowman.  How long that will remain, is any one’s guess.  Just as children need be more ingenious in finding eyes for a snow figure, adults need to be more judicious in use of salt, and scientists finding other cost effective, but more sustainable, items to use on our roadways and parking lots.  Beet juice anyone?