Today’s Snowfall Presents a Hidden Danger
THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay has received a lot of snow over the past 18 hours. That snow can be dangerous. Not only for drivers, but also once piled up in snowbanks.
The newly fallen snow has not had the time to bind to the earlier snow pack.
That means it can slide, not unlike an avalanche. For a small child or a dog, that could prove very dangerous.
The City of Thunder Bay is encouraging people not to put their snow on the banks on city property, however for reason of safety, it is also important to be snow aware.
Right now the City is stating that there is no more money in the budget to remove snowbanks. Some of the snowbanks are very tall.
They are presenting a problem for drivers and pedestrians.
The National Snow and Ice Data Center states, “All that is necessary for an avalanche is a mass of snow and a slope for it to slide down. For example, have you ever noticed the layer of snow on a car windshield after a snowfall?
While the temperature remains low, the snow sticks to the surface and does not slide off. After the temperature increases, however, the snow will sluff, or slide, down the front of the windshield, often in small slabs. This is an avalanche on a miniature scale.”
While the potential danger from the tall snowbanks is certainly not that of a mountain landslide, the danger is present never the less.
