Snowcrete
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From François Lang:
The storm that Mother Nature visited upon the Washington DC area was unusually difficult because several inches of snow were followed by several more inches of sleet. This combination resulted in a top layer of solid ice which has been dubbed "snowcrete".
The same storm hit us in Philadelphia, so I know exactly what "snowcrete" is like.
Frustrated by city response, D.C. residents step up to help clear ‘snowcrete’:
As mounds of stubborn snow remained on some residential streets and other areas, many Washingtonians found their own ways of digging out, whether through charity, camaraderieor commerce.
WP (January 31, 2026)
By Brittany Shammas, Michael Laris and Ruby Mellen
I don't know about the city's response in DC, but in the towns and suburbs around Philadelphia, in most cases whole armies of plows were out in force, and they did a respectable job, although the snow was more than man and machine could handle efficiently right away.
Officials in D.C. and its surrounding suburbs have stressed the extraorinary nature of the Jan. 25 storm, which began with 4 to 7 inches of snow and was followed by up to 4 inches of sleet. The amount of sleet — snow that falls, melts and refreezes into ice pellets before hitting the ground — was more than had hit the region in at least three decades, according to the Capital Weather Gang. Brutally frigid temperatures in the days since has kept things from melting.
I realize that people were frustrated and badly inconvenienced by the snow and sleet, but I am in sympathy with the public servants who had to move all of that heavy, cumbersome snow and ice.
As François cautioned, "Be careful walking on that snowcrete. I've slipped and fallen on my derrière a couple times already."
The snowcrete was bad enough, but I think even worse were the unremitting weeks of sub-freezing temperatures. Truly painful.
This is the fiercest winter of my whole life. I can understand Punxsutawney Phil running back down in his burrow this morning, but I hope that he doesn't stay there for more than six weeks!
Selected readings
- "Schneewind" (1/30/26)
- "'No word for X meets snowcloning" (11/20/20
- "Linguistic relativity: snow and horses" (4/15/25)
- "Snowclone" — Language Log played a major role in the conceptualization and popularization of this word
- "Punxsutawney and Maxatawny" (1/21/25)
Bybo said,
February 3, 2026 @ 2:07 am
Although it is something quite different, I feel justified in mentioning the historical curiosity that is pykrete here.
greg said,
February 3, 2026 @ 7:47 am
I was curious about the term yesterday and discovered that Snowcrete was actually coined 90 years ago as brand name for a white plaster.
KeithB said,
February 3, 2026 @ 8:25 am
And along with pykrete, the Habakkuk which was to be made of it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Habakkuk
Robert Ivanchuk-Strzelecki said,
February 3, 2026 @ 9:54 pm
Here in Tennessee (near the Shiloh battlefield) the situation may be bleaker. And in Oxford, Miss., where I study, it was worse yet – inches of ice brought down trees and power lines and left what was described as 'utter devastation' by people who had presumably never seen war, even on television (after a week, everything is back to normal.)
But here (having returned, in advance of the storm, to my village to be with my people, the other options being my uncle's compound further south, or burning my books for warmth in my all-electric apartment) the ice compacts on top of the snow, suffused with it, half-melts, and refreezes. On the first night it would split open beneath my feet, causing me to fall several inches. Then it was harder, but entirely too slippery for my running shoes which gave me no traction. Not wanting to imperil my new dress shoes I found I had to borrow my father's slippers, but even then walked slowly, carefully, not making any footprints, of course, on the ice, though somehow foot traffic had created depressions now filled with water in the sidewalks.
Having queried such topics in the terminal of my ordinator (I have long been enamored with Indian English for its quaint, deferential style) I found an interwar anthology of African, Indian ('Babu English') and Chinese (mis)usage. It may be a fit subject for discussion. The book is Honoured Sir – from Babujee (meaning of course Honoured Sir.) When the ice clears I will apply for a copy by slow boat from the mother country. Such a treasure must be jealously guarded.
Victor Mair said,
February 3, 2026 @ 10:17 pm
@Robert Ivanchuk-Strzelecki
I did see some photographs of the devastation in Mississippi and Tennessee, but could scarcely believe my eyes.
Your first-hand, lived account is absolutely precious and priceless.
A thousand thanks!
Jerry Packard said,
February 5, 2026 @ 10:59 am
And let’s not forget Qwikrete, those 40-pound bags of ready-mixed, fast setting mud that stabilized many a backyard swing set.