An average of 41.8 inches of isnow falls in Boston each winter, but more usually falls in the suburbs. Although Boston's average daytime temps do not drop below 36E F, they have been down as far as -18EF. Here is an average winter in Boston:



Month Snow High Low

Nov. 1.1" 51.6E 38.7E

Dec. 7.8" 40.3E 27.1E

Jan. 12.6" 36.4E 22.8E

Feb. 11.6" 37.7E 23.7E

Mar. 7.8" 45.0E 31.8E

Apr. 0.9" 56.6E 40.8E



However, the winter weather does get severe. Here are the winter words of warning, especially helpful to drivers.When-ever it's snowing, sleeting, or whatever, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Boston advises that no one go out travelling, so anyone complaining about how hard snow is to drive in deserves what they get for going out.

SNOW is clearly defined in everyone's imagination, but there are actually two kinds. DRY SNOW is the powder loved by skiers. It is very light to shovel, easy to plow, etc. Dry snow is the kind of snow that falls when temps are in the 20s or lower. Although it's light and easy to boot out of the way, it creates problems such as blowing around and drifting if it's windy. This can createwhite-out conditions that might as well be fog. WET SNOW is probably the worst kind of snow that could ever fall on those who hate winter. It is created by a temperature near or above freezing, or when snow mixes with rain. It sticks and freezes to whatever it touches and makes heavy piles of slush on roads. It also brings down trees and power lines, and is extremely hard to shovel. Dry snow usually has small snowflakes while wet ones are usually larger, because they stick to each other.

SLEET is merely rain that has fallen through a layer of cold air and frozen before landing. It's also known as ICE PELLETS. Usually sleet does not cause a problem, but it can accumulate and usually falls along with the dreaded WET SNOW.

FREEZING RAIN, or GLAZE, is probably the worst enemy of any traveller. This occurs when the air suddenly warms up, leaving the ground still below freezing. Freezing rain is normal rain that freezes when it lands on something. This "something" can be anything from a road to a tree to a car windshield.

Another winter problem is the WARMUP. If there is a thaw in mid-winter, the ground usually stays frozen as it does all winter. This makes it incapable of absorbing any water until spring, so when the snow melts and/or rain falls on frozen ground, it will first get very muddy. If it keeps up, floods can result. Also, if the air warms up rapidly and snow is on the ground, DENSE FOG is usually the result. This is another travel hazard.

Next month: WATCHES and ADVISORIES. e