I snapped this shot out the back door on Christmas morning. Unlike the winter storm we are having right now with 30 mph winds, this one dropped snow with no wind and it piled up on everything. I think this one was around 16", all basically falling overnight. Since then, I shoveled off all the snow off the hot tub and around the deck. I shoveled off about the same amount again today. It is still snowing and projected to snow a lot for two or three days coming up.
During the Winter in the Rockies, many days start out with about an hour of snow shoveling and snow blowing before any work gets attempted. I think most companies just plan on a certain number of lost hours following a big winter storm. The snow that piles up after a soft storm like the one above is light and fluffy. It is easy to move and snow blow, however, the snow that was once in the middle of the street gets plowed overnight by the big trucks. The snow that gets piled in the driveway is always much heavier and chunkier and usually much deeper than most cars, vans or trucks can clear.
Needless to say, it is difficult to paint many signs outdoors, much less apply vinyl to the outside of a window. Truck lettering is also a challenge in the winter. We never dug holes for signs here in Jackson, but installations requiring dug post holes can be difficult or near impossible since the ground freezes as hard as concrete down to about 30-36". If you remember the Northern Exposure show, Ruth Ann and Holling were looking around the bar for anyone they thought might pass away during the winter so they could pre-dig the appropriate number of graves. Heavy smokers and people eating a diet of excessively fatty foods were penciled in, much to Joel Fleshman's amazement.
As bad as it might appear, the bulk of the locals love to see the snow fall. It is good for the winter skier and snowboarders which usually translates into income from the tourists. The snow helps build the mountain snow pack which keeps water in the rivers all summer and helps fill the reserviors.
Mike
Denver Chapter of the Letterheads