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 : rangizzz ( Shutterstock ) Whether you have a traditional green grass lawn , or one of the alternative varieties gaining traction recently—like bee lawns , clover lawns , or tapestry lawns —you probably want it to be intact when spring eventually rolls around. You also probably don’t want to put time and energy into maintaining it over the winter. The good news is that you really don’t need to do much to make that happen—just don’t kill it. Here’s how to avoid doing that. Find somewhere else to pile shoveled snow When you’re shoveling your sidewalk or driveway, it’s convenient to dump the snow onto your lawn, but try to avoid doing that if possible—especially if you used deicer on the pavement. (More on that in a bit.) Both the salt in the deicer and the weight of the snow could damage your lawn. Shovel carefully Speaking of shoveling, pay attention to what you’re doing when you get close to the edge of your lawn. In other words, try not to remove chunks of lawn or soil al...

Photo : ArtBitz ( Shutterstock ) A huge winter storm is making its way across the country this week, bringing with it heavy snow, high winds, and single-digit temperatures as far south as Louisiana. Conditions are expected to significantly affect holiday travel , and similar storms have recently challenged power grids and other infrastructure even in states that are accustomed to winter weather . Remember how an arctic freeze went for Texas ( not accustomed to winter weather) in February 2021? So—especially if you live in a place that doesn’t often see extreme cold, ice, or snow—you should check the forecast and prepare your home and belongings accordingly . Here are the precautions to consider ahead of any winter storm. Bring your pets and plants inside This should be a no-brainer, but anything living is unlikely to weather an arctic freeze well. If you have outdoor pets, livestock, or plants, bring them inside or make arrangements for shelter until temperatures rise. For cold...

Photo : Parilov ( Shutterstock ) If you live in an area that gets blessed by snow every winter, you’re probably pretty used to it. But no matter how experienced you are with snow, there’s one aspect of snow removal that most people aren’t prepared for: Your roof. If you’ve ever shoveled snow, you know it can be really heavy; it’s easy to heft a load of heavy, wet snow and then glance at your roof and imagine it quivering under the load. The obvious solution is to take that shovel in your hands and head up onto your roof to clear it off—but that can be very dangerous . So how can you safely clear snow off your roof so you can sleep peacefully and not worry about a collapse? When to worry about snow on the roof First things first—do you actually need to worry about snow on your roof? Sure , snow is heavy stuff—three feet of fresh snow or one foot of packed snow weighs approximately 30 pounds —but you have to remember that most building codes anticipate snow load, and your roof...

Photo : Suzanne Tucker ( Shutterstock ) Black ice is a thin, barely visible layer of ice that often masquerades as water and can really ruin your day if you come across some unexpectedly. It usually shows up when there’s moisture in the air and the temperature drops below freezing quickly, creating an ice slick across the coldest surfaces. While black ice is a menace, it can be both avoided and dealt with when it does form. How to prevent black ice from forming Keeping an eye on the temperature outside is the first step to keeping black ice in check. If the temperature will be above freezing by the time you need to use your walks or driveway, you might not need to de-ice at all—y ou can just wait for the sun to do the work. As long as the surfaces you’re concerned about warm up above 32 degrees, you shouldn’t need to worry. One way to proactively keep black ice at bay is to s hovel regularly to prevent melting snow from running onto surfaces and refreezing. Of course, mel...

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...