A big part of my life has passed since I lived in Maryland. There snow does fall but rather infrequently. When it does, we could count on it melting and evaporating within a day or two. One of the first lessons we learned about the upper Midwest is that snow accumulates. An inch today will add to the inch from yesterday. Evaporation, even at cold temperatures, does take place and you can see snow sagging where some has been taken up by the atmosphere. Cold temperatures, say below zero or below -10 or -20, do impede evaporation, though, and you can't count on the process for snow removal.
Our roads will be driveable if the snowplow drivers can possibly get them that way and they usually can. In some bad storms, drivers may put in long hours behind the wheel of heavy and powerful vehicles that can easily take out a mailbox or other property that is near the road. Some residential services plow our driveways very often, sometimes to the point that the homeowner feels taken advantage of. An inch or less of snow can usually be dealt with by the resident. The charge per time may be $25 or $30 and some people sometimes feel they would rather do the job themselves. We actually have a John Deere snowthrower but we haven't used it in several years. Many snowfalls are too light or too heavy for the machine. A very thin layer of snow may not be taken up by the machine and a heavy layer can cause it to jam repeatedly.
Less frequently, snowfalls can be blown by a strong wind into very impressive piles. Without snow fences, these piles can quietly but steadily build up to completely block a road. Driving along in a strong wind in a situation where you can barely see through the driven snow along a road that is covered with white in a field covered with the very same white is not fun. A high wind can drive the snow right at your eye level, creating an unpleasant visual effect, especially after a couple of hours. Add a factor of driving behind a large truck and it becomes even less enjoyable. The truck creates a small snow whirl of its own just past the tailgate, right where it makes seeing where you are going even more problematic.
Despite these difficulties and the occasional heart attack from over-exertion while shoveling, many locals strongly dislike a winter with too little snow. A snow blanket protects many plants from intense cold while attracting skiers and snowmobilers. Many parts of the economy do better with a good amount of snow.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
