Tausi Insider

Photo : rSnapshotPhotos ( Shutterstock ) Snow days almost bring as much joy to a child as Christmas morning. And as kids and parents anxiously watch the news to see if the weather might cause a school day cancelation, there are two measurements you might hear that sound the same: snowfall and snow depth. But you might have different numbers for each. Let’s look at what makes these two measurements different, how to measure the difference between the two (if you want to venture out into the cold, that is), and what it takes to trigger a snow day. What is snowfall? According to Merriam-Webster, snowfall is defined as “the amount of snow that falls in a single storm or in a certain period.” Suppose you want to calculate how much snow fell during a single night. Because the grass and air at the bottom of the ground can interfere with your measurement, the National Weather Service (NWS) recommends using a snowboard (or any 16x16-inch piece of plywood) because it provides a hard, flat ...

Photo : Shawn Hamilton ( Shutterstock ) Most roofs constructed after modern regulations were passed in the U.S. in 1988 are built to withstand a certain amount of extra weight in the form of snow. Even older roofs usually have some extra capacity to allow for snow. But sometimes, larger amounts of snow, or wet or compacted snow can exceed the capacity of your roof. Luckily, you can calculate your structure’s snow load, and if you think you’re getting close to the brink, take some precautions. Here are some helpful steps to take to keep snow from damaging your roof. Use a snow-load calculator There’s some information you’ll need to collect before you can make the calculations for your particular structure. First the length, width, and pitch of your roof will determine most of the calculation. Feed that information—along with your state, and the depth and type of snow—into this snow load calculator from OMNI, and it will tell you whether you’re in danger of exceeding the recommende...