January saw near-record-breaking cold and higher-than-average snowfall, but the two combined created conditions requiring more than shovels and plows — we needed new language. Welcome “snowcrete” to our winter lexicon.
Snowcrete is a portmanteau: a combination of the words “snow” and “concrete,” which describes snowpack so dense and heavy people can stand on it and not fall through. Sintered snow acts like a solid thanks to inches of sleet that fell, then froze during Winter Storm Fern and the days of frigid temperatures that followed.
The Baltimore City Department of Public Works broke out the backhoes and excavators to clear alleys of snow piles that had frozen solid so their sanitation trucks could get through, and people on social media wondered if Lot O of Camden Yards would still have mountains of ice blocking parking spots on opening day.
Snow crews from the Baltimore City Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Public Works (DPW), Recreation and Parks, and Department of General Services (DGS) worked in 12-hour shifts around the clock to plow and treat the city’s roads, said Kathy Dominick, interim deputy chief of communications for DOT. Crews also helped residents by moving and hauling away snow and ice from their neighborhoods…