Snow, again
We (including Urvesh, Minyang, and possibly Hannah, but I never pay attention whatsoever to what happens to those horrible Rhode Island people) got more snow last night. I can't speak for the rest of these New Englanders, but I'm tired of shoveling, especially since the snow plows keep piling snow inside our driveway--I swear they're doing it on purpose, the bastards. Last time it snowed, my front lawn looked like a trench from the Empire Strikes Back (after the walkway was shoveled). The snow was "dry". Last night we got wet snow. This means that I shoveled my driveway this morning to the beautiful sight of white trees bent down to the ground, and a stop sign covered on one edge (not the flat part that says "stop") by an inch of snow. It also means I now have the opportunity to build a snowman and get into a snowball fight with my neighbor.
posted by Jim at 12:13 AM
6 Comments:
Dear dear Julia. Although MN has been sorely lacking this year in snow of both varieties (only one really good storm), I will attempt to elucidate the subtleties:
Wet Snow: Jim correctly referred to this as the ideal snow for snow-folk and snowball fights, but he omitted the vital snow forts and sculptures. This snow comes during warmer weather and is called wet because it packs well--due to more amorphous flake formation. It is often called "slick" snow as well. It is also much more dense and, as such, demands more exertion while shoveling.
Dry Snow: also referred to as "powder" occurs after gusty storms and on colder days. These flakes have had more time at colder temperatures to form cohesive crystalline structures and thus pack inefficiently. While this snow is lighter, it often slips off the shovel. Winter veterans who do not ski know this snow as worthless eye-candy. Skiers, of course, love it, as it is less slippery and more responsive.
Jim also omitted three more related varieties not stemming from actual snowfalls.
"Crispy" snow occurs after dry snow has been sitting around in cold weather and has had time to form larger lattices. This snow is even more worthless than dry snow and is a pain to walk on.
Packed snow occurs during the first waves of melting, when wet snow becomes still more amorphous and dense. Stepping in the wrong drift of packed snow guarantees that your pants will stay wet for hours.
Dirty snow, prevalent right now in MN, occurs during sudden warm spells (we hit 58 today!) when accumulated mud mixes with packed snow to form an ugly mucky mess.
Not quite an eskimo degree of subtlety, but I hope that helps.
Dry Snow--snow that occurs usually when it's friggin cold outside. It's powdery and doesn't stick together.
Wet Snow--aka fun snow: usually near freezing point. It's mushy and sticks together and great for snowballs and snowmen. But bad for shoveling.
exactly michael.
Two more varieties of dirty snow:
"Dog snow"
"Rabbit snow"
These should be self-explanatory.
I feel for you Yiwey. You know, you could always visit MN, although I fear it's too late this year (we had RAIN today--turning to snow tonight). I especially applaud Luukas's note about car snow, a must-know for big cities. Slurpee is exactly the right word.
When I woke up today, there were about 3 inches of snow on the ground. When I went to get lunch, there were between 1 and 2. Now, it's close to a centimeter. Scary. (The puddles are HUGE).
Recent weather has created another type:
Death-to-toe-snow. Partially melted then a sudden cold spell leads to soft looking snow that's as hard as ice. Many a good foot had been lost to this dangerous breed, and shovels as well.
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