One year living in Alton NH, we had a lot of snow, it kept coming. Many large roofs were collapsing because of the weight. Being an engineer, it got me to wondering what was the weight. I shoveled an exact (as I could) a cubic foot of snow that had varying types of snow, light to heavy loose and packed. Melted it down and weighed the water being 8.4 Lbs per gallon as the quantity was measured as well, being percentage of a gallon.
Measured the area of collapsed roof(s) and snow depths arrived at for the weight of snow on the roofs. The final analysis was determined in pounds or tons. Knowing an adult African Elephant weights 10,000 lbs, some roofs had the equivalent of three elephants.
Now with snow depths being deceiving and basically the weight calculable, roofs didn't get shoveled off. BUT if they knew three elephants were on the roof, they would be removed (somehow). Lesson learned, interesting. I shoveled my roofs off. That may have been the winter we had two storms in one week of 30 inches, and more other dates. Shoveling the roof off, then had to shovel through the snow bank to enter the house. In Michigan in the UP, people have to enter the house through the second floor window. Houlton MI on Lake Superior has a road post with 64 foot accumulated snow marking.
One year living in Alton NH, we had a lot of snow, it kept coming. Many large roofs were collapsing because of the weight. Being an engineer, it got me to wondering what was the weight. I shoveled an exact (as I could) a cubic foot of snow that had varying types of snow, light to heavy loose and packed. Melted it down and weighed the water being 8.4 Lbs per gallon as the quantity was measured as well, being percentage of a gallon.
Measured the area of collapsed roof(s) and snow depths arrived at for the weight of snow on the roofs. The final analysis was determined in pounds or tons. Knowing an adult African Elephant weights 10,000 lbs, some roofs had the equivalent of three elephants.
Now with snow depths being deceiving and basically the weight calculable, roofs didn't get shoveled off. BUT if they knew three elephants were on the roof, they would be removed (somehow). Lesson learned, interesting. I shoveled my roofs off. That may have been the winter we had two storms in one week of 30 inches, and more other dates. Shoveling the roof off, then had to shovel through the snow bank to enter the house. In Michigan in the UP, people have to enter the house through the second floor window. Houlton MI on Lake Superior has a road post with 64 foot accumulated snow marking.