A +4C snowfall followed by a -4C overnight freeze turns heavy, wet snow into ice that has the consistency of concrete.

We are from Toronto, Canada, and most of Canada regularly gets snow during the winter. As the snow falls from the sky it accumulates. This accumulation must be removed from the streets, sidewalks and private driveways in order for cars to safely drive on the street and for people to be able to safely walk on the sidewalk. There are times when you can leave the snow on your driveway and clear it away some time later, but in some specific conditions, waiting even 6 hours can make the job multiple times more difficult. These conditions include above freezing temperatures while the snow falls, followed by a quick below 0C freeze overnight, turning wet, heavy snow into a large block of ice.

Shoveling snow can be hard work. Snow looks nice and fluffy, and if it is very cold, like -10C, it is. Unfortunately much snow falls near 0C or above. The snow then partially melts and compacts when it hits the ground, turning to slush. Slush is heavy, partially melted snow. A great number of angina and heart attacks occur while people are shoveling snow.

One needs to be aware of the snow conditions as well as proper lifting mechanics in order to not get hurt. Of course if you are young and fit you can shovel any which way you want, and though you might feel some aches and pains the next day, no major injury should occur. When lifting snow you should bend at the knees and limit bending at the waist. Avoid simultaneously lifting and twisting your back, as this puts undue strain on your back. Reposition your body before you lift to avoid this.

If the snow is heavy a smaller shovel will be easier to handle, While you will be shoveling less snow per shovel and therefore it will take you more time to shovel, a smaller shovel lifts less snow and is easier on your back. If you have a long driveway that will take you more than one hour to shovel, consider a gas-powered snow blower. The snow blower, similar to a lawn mower, with pick up and throw your snow off your driveway and on to your lawn. Pre-season and post-season maintenance is required to keep your machine operating well.

Yesterday’s conditions, Dec 09 2009, here in Toronto were ideal for shoveling snow right away. Conditions, at +4C were quite warm, so the snow was mixed with rain and partially melted. The snow was extremely heavy. Overnight the temperature dropped to -4C, freezing this snow/slush mixture into solid ice. If one did not shovel their driveway yesterday evening, by today the snow would have turned into ice, making removal extremely difficult. Ice on your driveway is as hard as concrete. The ice is also very slippery. If there is no prolonged thaw, where the ice can melt sufficiently to be broken up and removed, this ice can stay on your driveway for months. Once your driveway is frozen and uneven, subsequent snowfalls are more difficult to remove, as the uneven surface makes shoveling more of a challenge. Ice also reflects the sun’s rays, acting as an insulating layer, so your black driveway will not heat up as much and therefore will not as easily aid in melting the ice.

The most optimal solution for above 0C snowfall followed by a below 0C overnight temperature is to shovel as early as possible. A clear driveway is dark, allowing it to absorb the sun’s energy and aid in melting residual snow and ice. Along the same lines as “a stitch in time saves nine”, shoveling at the right time can save you a lot of work.

___It’s magical that a sprinkling of 5 cm of new snow can transform our landscape, and with it the spirits of our neighborhood. New snow is pristine, covering everything with a whitewash of, well, white. It’s as if some gigantic bottle of baby powder was evenly sprinkled on everything. A landscape of white greets your senses, with only a hint of green showing from our evergreens, who have the ability to partially shed their coat of snow.

___Snow, when fresh fallen, is white. Each particle has a unique internal crystalline structure, formed through their travels by a combination of wind, temperature, and available water. One could say that their uniqueness alone is something to marvel. Take an area of 300 square kilometers, drop 10 cm by 300 square km of snow on the area, and ensure each and every snow flake is unique. Who designs these structures?

A wonderful snowscape. Are you paying attention?

___Fresh fallen snow filters the air, leaving it fresh and pristine. Snow blankets the dull browns and pale greens of grass. It covers eyesores such as blotches of displaced dirt, stains of excess road salt, and windblown pieces of plastic or errant garbage, thus reducing visual clutter and allowing better focus. The white scenery, the crisp clean air, and the muffled sounds, leaves one with a unique and wonderful feeling. I’d say it is a Canadian feeling.

___There are many of us that are simply too busy to pay attention. We carry on about making more money, buying a bigger house or car, how to finance it all, or how to get away from our mind’s octopus and entanglement. I once wondered if you walked around downtown Toronto’s Union Station in a pink bunny suit during the morning rush hour, would anyone notice? I suspect not. I would predict that you would get run over by the hordes of business suits running to get to their office and plug into their computers. Yet this morning, Mother Nature is, very politely, seeking our attention by blanketing our environment in white. Will we pay attention?

Driveway, sidewalk and snowbank, on S's side

In true Canadian spirit, we must talk about snow and winter. This winter is unique in that while it has snowed a little more than an average year, there has been very little melt. This means that, not surprisingly, the snow accumulates. In downtown Toronto, snow may be carted off in trucks to a local park and dumped, but in most residential areas, it is simply too expensive.

My neighbour S has a snow service that clears his driveway with a truck. The truck has a plow and scrapes the snow backwards towards the street. Once on the street the snow is pushed up onto the side of the curb.

As the snow has not melted the snow bank on S’s side has steadily gotten larger. Because S’s snow removal service does not have a plow that can be raised up, like a fork lift, the snow bank has grown up but as well out. It’s now 1.5 car widths wide. Combined with the snow bank on the other side of the street, our normally 3 car width boulevard has narrowed to one car width. It’s a little hard to see if other cars are coming. Thankfully we live on a street with little vehicular traffic.

Driveway, sidewalk and snowbank on Popo's side

 On the other side, I am the snow clearing service, and with my snowblower, can throw the snow up and over most of the snowbank. The street plow, however, still refuses to plow to the curb, so every part of the street is narrowed. Last year we had better plow drivers and wider streets.

On Sunday we had one day of thaw, when it hit +1C, so I was outside chipping off the ice from the driveway, and hurling it up and over the snowbank. If it snows and you don’t remove it, and then the temperature drops, the snow will compact down and become ice. If there is no thaw this ice will build up, become quite hard and thick, making removal almost impossible. I prefer to chip out my driveway so the accumulation is kept to a minimum, which for me is zero.

Snow is a lot of fun and makes our city very beautiful. I really hope it snows today.

I suggest tobogganing. What could be more Canadian than tobogganing? At -10C the weather is not too cold nor too windy. ‘Bogganing is healthy and relatively safe. We head off to the local large and medium hills, side by side. The sun is shining and we climb and make one on the medium and four on the large, all great runs.

The 6th run is from the large hill. We start smoothly, but as we rapidly descend the ‘boggan begins to veer left. I, in the rear position, shift weight right, but the curve of the hill and snow is too much and we cannot correct. Can you guessed what happens next? Yes, momentum continues to carry us in a forward direction at rapid speed, while said ‘boggan veers on a leftwardly course. Of course the little one has no interest in this theoretical non-colinear progression until the inevitable reality check: we faceplant.  More specifically the little one faceplants. Technically it wasn’t the whole face, only the anterior right of the top of the head and the right side of the face, but to the little one, a face plant none the less. This did not go over very well, and he immediately wanted to go home. I bring out the big guns.

“Not everything turns out as you expect. Sometimes things suddenly change. All you can do is hang on, pick yourself up and carry on”.

So convincing was I that we did another 2 runs for good measure, and called it a day. The little ones learn so easily, so freely. It’s got to be a gift.

There are times when you wonder just who is listening and who is coaching.

Gonggong's bicycle snowed in

A whole lot of snow has fallen in Toronto, and I’ve been shoveling once last night and twice today. While the temperatures are -4C and the snow is fluffy, it looks like around 20cm, which builds up and becomes heavy. It is not cold outside.

Crabapple tree in winter

The trees have snow but not ice.

Icicles by security light

We have some icicles growing from various parts of the eavestrough that are melting, so there’s a constant drip, drip onto the snow outside. They will freeze solid tonight. The kids want them to eat, but they’re too high up and when you crack them off you don’t want to be underneath when they fall.

Treehouse snowed under

Note the snow accumulation on the second story of the treehouse is over knee deep, and this is only from snow accumulation from last night.

It is days like these that I really do appreciate living in Canada. There is variety and beauty. Yes, I could be living beside a volcano in sub-tropical climes looking out to white grey fluff covering my bike (volcanic ash), but I prefer the real stuff.