Ain’t Snow Great‽
“HE GIVES SNOW LIKE WOOL” (Psa. 147:16a).
I don’t suppose everyone is as excited about this week’s snow as our children have been. It’s easy to see the negatives and difficulties of 8″ of snow—dangerous driving, hazardous hills, sidewalk scooping, or car window clearing—and overlook the positives. Are there any?
In addition to providing a playground for children—snowmen, snow forts and snowball fights, or snow angels—falling snow brings many advantages. Here are a few.
Did you know that a good covering of snow makes an excellent insulator? Snow is mostly air surrounded by flecks of ice. The trapped air hinders any warmth from escaping. That’s why a snow cave or an igloo will allow one to preserve body heat on a bitter cold night. More importantly, it keeps the ground from freezing too hard or too deeply. 1″ of snow will allow soil surface temperature to be 2 degrees warmer than the air above it. Ten inches of snow cover will allow as much as 20 degrees difference.
Tree roots, shrub roots, bulbs and perennials are sheltered and preserved through a good snowfall. Also, the snowpack protects against wide temperature fluctuations in the soil. Such fluctuations damage the soil through heaving, contracting, or expanding. These dynamic responses to temperature fluctuations can damage roots or even pop smaller plants out of the ground, exposing their roots and drying them out. Snow is good!
Did you also know that airborne nitrogen attaches to snowflakes as they fall? The Old Farmer’s Almanac calls snow a “poor man’s fertilizer.” A good snowstorm provides a gentle fertilizer to boost plant growth. Best part: it’s free!
We also get a sense of New Hope whenever we see field of fresh fallen snow. No footprints mar the surface. We see the beauty of its pristine purity. It’s like a new beginning and a fresh start! While we might complain about hazardous driving, it’s clear that if we focus on the positives, we’ll have a great day whenever it snows.
Gotta love the snow!
Rod MacArthur
206.949.0325
rod_macarthur@comcast.net