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Foul-Weather Heroes |
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| UCAR's snow crew (from left to right): Patrick Ryan, Tom Petruzzi, Rich Johnson, Bob Yale (kneeling), Keith White, and Louie DiMarco. (Photo by Carlye Calvin.) |
Snow removal at all UCAR sites is handled in part by a contractor, although all of UCAR's maintenance staff gets involved at all sites during a severe ice or snow storm. To drive plows such as the 1987 Ford pictured in the background, a commercial driver's license is required.
The snow-removal team has been particularly busy this year. This winter has not yet resulted in any major snowstorms, but the frequency of snows and the unusual ice storms have tested the crew's mettle. The chart shows how many snowfalls have occurred this year and how they compare to those in previous years. And note, March can be very snowy: last year's March gave us two 10-inch snowfalls. So, while a new snowplow is scheduled for delivery this spring to replace UCAR's 1981 International, that old plow may yet see some heavy work before retirement.
"Many vendors who have delivered to the Mesa loading dock have been amazed at how well the ML road is maintained during snowstorms," notes David Soule, who supervises the crew. And the staff has noticed as well. Thank you, fellas!
• Sally Bates
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Boulder snowfalls measured at the cooperative observing station. The
station was established in 1980 and is located on the west side of the
NOAA campus on Broadway. The measurements are in inches and were
provided to Staff Notes Monthly by official Boulder Weather
Watcher Matt Kelsch of COMET.
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Edited by Bob Henson,
bhenson@ucar.edu
Prepared for the Web by Jacque Marshall
Last revised: Thu Mar 22 15:52:04 MST 2001