casesnow.com

A major area of concern for the snow and ice industry is always revolving around the environmental effects of de-icing materials. In a report featured by the Salt Institute, studies show best practices in deicing can result in drastic environmental improvement. A University of Waterloo report shows that adopting new innovative practices for winter de-icing can result in noticeable reductions of sodium chloride in the environment. In one scenario, a 25% reduction of total road salt application resulted in 50% lower sodium chloride levels in shallow groundwater.

Of course, these mats are meant for walking surfaces and wouldn’t be placed over an entire driveway, but using HeatTrak even minimally will reduce the rate at which salt is tracked into buildings. It’s incredibly common for houses and businesses to be cluttered with salty, sandy residue once the snow starts to fall, but giving people a clean surface to walk on before entering definitely helps combat the gritty mess. The major reason why HeatTrak‘s mats can change the way we see snow removal is because it eliminates the need for salt and other materials to melt snow and ice. While right now it seems like there is no perfect method for clearing snow, one that eliminates the need to use potentially harmful materials seems like a step in the right direction.

Much of Europe and Canada run into similar situations, but the United States seems to be a mid-point between countries with huge snowfall totals such as Norway and others with much less such as the United Kingdom. Going out in extremely cold temperatures isn’t too much of a problem when everyone in Sweden has the proper clothing attire to keep them warm and safe. The preferred method of transportation in northern areas of Sweden and Norway and even Canada is usually by snowmobile. In the coming months those few inches of snow that may be on the ground won’t be looking so bad just knowing how many feet of snow are already probably covering the ground in Sweden, Norway, or our neighbor Canada.

The most noticeable weather difference will be found close to the Canadian border and towards the midwest, where they expect much warmer temperatures and below average snowfall. This warmth won’t hold out forever though, as month by month we see slow changes from warm with below average snowfall, transitioning towards a typical cold and snowy winter. The end of January is likely to ramp up and prepare us for February, which could be another month to remember when it comes to snow. The southern Atlantic coast will likely see colder than average temperatures, but it shouldn’t be enough to see a snow storm.