Not a day goes by without an email, text or person stopping me in the mall to ask if this winter is a record for snowfall. Many people that experienced the winter of 1995/96 are sure this year must be close to that winter's snowfall amounts. My short answer is 'no' to both questions, but the reasons may be different than you think.
First, I had to go back 42 years to find a time when Sault Ste. Marie had more snow on the ground than there is now! Only twice in the last 57 years (1977 & 1972) was there more snow, and even then it was only about 10cm more. So to answer the second question is that we have MORE than we did in 1995/96 at this time of year, but we had more snow that winter (mainly in December).
Rainfall before a big melt could bring some risks to the Sault region this spring. The first concern is for buildings with current heavy snow loads. If we have a significant rainfall event in the month ahead, then this rain will be absorbed by the snow and drastically increase the current weight of the snow.
After the snow stops absorbing and decides to melt we will have a month’s worth of water stored in the snow that will need to go somewhere. Many of us want a quick start to spring and end to winter, but the best outcome may instead be a long slow melt.
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