Blizzard of 2016 Reflections

As most of you are now aware, 30.2" of snow was recorded during the "Blizzard of 2016" officially at KMDT!  That in and of itself is quite a feat for south central PA...especially when being measured by what often seems to be an underperforming airport for winter weather events!  But I digress...

So very early this morning I decided to check the property as the sun was rising.  It was nearly dead calm.  Skies were crystal clear!  My thermometer read a "balmy" 4°F.  There was no man-made noise from what I could discern; wonderfully silent!  It reminded me of Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote..."Let us be silent so we may hear the whisper of God".  What a unique winter wonderland that I seldom experience living here in the greater Harrisburg-York corridor!

But I also was thinking...man, just walking in the deep snow had me breathing deeply.  My lower lats and external obliques gently reminded me I had moved some snow yesterday...and I got thinking...just how much snow?   So for a little mental exercise I determined that I moved 24.4 tons of the white stuff...and that doesn't count the snowblower on the driveway!  So I'll walk you through this...

Keep in mind that measurements are approximations for easier calculations...

Given:  

1.  30" of snowfall (at least...it seemed like every time I moved the snow, it drifted right back into the area of lower wind generated kinetic energy and came to rest in my sheltered paths...sorry I digress again!)

2.  Shovel dimensions are 1' wide by 6" deep or 0.5 sq ft

3.  With 6" of snow on the shovel, the load is  ~20 lbs

4.  So with our 30" snow yesterday (glad it was rather high ratio, lighter snow), 1 sq ft of snow 30" deep weighed approx 200lbs. (and by the end of the day so it seemed!)

5.  Patio:  144 sq ft & 100' Linear walkway and steps 1 foot wide (one shovel width) for a total of 244 sq ft of manual snow removal.

So at 200 lbs per sq ft and 244 sq ft was cleared of snow, 48,800 lbs (24.4 Tons) of snow was moved!  So it was no problem that Planet Fitness was closed yesterday...Ha!  

OK...I bored y'all enough with this little "geeky" calculation.  But I will leave y'all with this...the Euro ensembles indicating another wave of low pressure along the eastern seaboard later next week...bears watching!  BUT THE SYNOPTICS ARE MUCH DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE JUST EXPERIENCED!  So frankly, I'm not expecting another snowfall, but it must be monitored!

OK...enjoy your NFL Championship Sunday...and enjoy my music choice for your Sunday listening pleasure!  This is a different kind of blues...

Smitty

AA:  Historic snowfall for Harrisburg; living history!  Are you even home yet from plowing?