Sam Arora

When is this "snowcrete" nonsense going to finally MELT? Wouldn't surprise us if some of it is still hanging around in MARCH. The prolonged cold has largely prevented the frozen conglomeration that fell on Sunday from melting, and there’s no sign of a meaningful thaw or rainstorm to erode it anytime soon. As temperatures moderate next week, some limited melting may occur along the surface of the snowpack — especially on sunnier afternoons. But the concrete-like slabs of snow and ice will refreeze each night when lows fall back into the teens and 20s. The amount of frozen precipitation that fell Sunday contained water equivalent to roughly a 20-inch snowstorm, but in a far more compacted form. What remains may only be 4 to 6 inches thick, yet it is so dense that it will require a significant amount of heat energy to melt. Unless the region experiences a rapid warmup and/or a soaking rainstorm, much of it could linger well into February. And those towering piles in parking lots? Some of them may still be around in March. Photo by Joe Flood

When is this "snowcrete" nonsense going to finally MELT? Wouldn't surprise us if some of it is still hanging around in MARCH. The prolonged cold has largely prevented the frozen conglomeration that fell on Sunday from melting, and there’s no sign of a meaningful thaw or rainstorm to erode it anytime soon. As temperatures moderate next week, some limited melting may occur along the surface of the snowpack — especially on sunnier afternoons. But the concrete-like slabs of snow and ice will refreeze each night when lows fall back into the teens and 20s. The amount of frozen precipitation that fell Sunday contained water equivalent to roughly a 20-inch snowstorm, but in a far more compacted form. What remains may only be 4 to 6 inches thick, yet it is so dense that it will require a significant amount of heat energy to melt. Unless the region experiences a rapid warmup and/or a soaking rainstorm, much of it could linger well into February. And those towering piles in parking lots? Some of them may still be around in March. Photo by Joe Flood