the properties of snow

After Montreal’s first winter storm, the city claimed 45 centimetres of snow fell, while Environment Canada said 36 cm. I wanted to figure out how and why Environment Canada and the city could come up with snowfall estimates that diverged so widely.
The story that resulted from my research was published in today’s Gazette (see the bottom [...]

it’s true: there used to be more snow (if you grew up in the ’50s, ’60s or ’70s)

It turns out snow banks really were higher when you were a kid (providing you grew up in Canada in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s), according to the Canadian Cryospheric Information Network. Unfortunately, the study did not go beyond the year 2000.
A quote from this CCIN page:
Ask any Canadian about snow and they will invariably [...]

a solution to montreal’s snow-plowing problems

Yes, I’m obsessed with snow.
I’ve come across a guy who can teach the city of Montreal a thing or two about snow clearing. Dave Peterson, an engineer in Batavia, Illinois, has invented a snow plow that attaches to the back of his bike. He uses it to plow the path he takes to get to [...]

the beauty of a snowflake

Speaking of snow, I’m working on another story about the white stuff and came upon a cool site that focuses on snow crystals . The site – SnowCrystals.com – is the work of Kenneth G. Libbrecht, a Caltech physics professor who grows snowflakes in a lab in sunny southen California. The above GIF is [...]

ah, that explains it

Last Friday, while working on a story about snow removal after Montreal’s first big storm, I called the opposition Vision Montreal Party to get their take on the city’s progress (or lack thereof). They offered up their snow point person of the day – Mary Deros, councillor for Park Extension.
I was expecting complaints; they are [...]