We’d been tracking the slow demise of Boston’s Tide Street pile: A glacier of trash and black snow that served as a reminder of the worst winter in recent memory. Sadly Boston’s snow melted last week, RIP. But there’s a rival pile in Buffalo that’s just as big, nasty, and, yes, still frozen.
Boston’s pile was vile in all the most fascinating ways—it even had a hashtag and a contest sponsored by the mayor to guess when it would finally turn to liquid. (July 14, officially.)
But Buffalo’s might be even more impressive, seeing as it began accumulating eight months ago, as part of the “Snovember” suite of storms that dropped up to six feet of snow on the city in 24 hours. Then of course, snow removal teams just kept adding to it all winter.
Here’s the pile at its full height:
This pile of #snow in #Buffalo still hasn't melted completely: http://t.co/2LxX92s7gX pic.twitter.com/kEDxBk5HJq
— Daily Gazette (@dgazette) July 28, 2015
And in yesterday’s 86-degree heat:
It may be 86 degrees outside but you can still find a snow pile in #Buffalo. @DaveMcKinley2 has the story at 6pm. pic.twitter.com/XB4sfbmCDS
— WGRZ (@WGRZ) July 27, 2015
Buffalo’s pile is also special because instead of trash, it’s got grass growing on its summit!
@DanielleVollmar The snow pile in Buffalo has weeds on top! cool. pic.twitter.com/ZOLnp2vweZ
— JoeMozdiez (@jomozdiez) July 28, 2015
Although getting to the icy part requires a bit of digging. It’s kind of like an Oreo Blizzard:
Snow that fell in #Buffalo 8 months ago is still there (seriously!) http://t.co/8zSlep8y7O
— KREM 2 NEWS (@KREM2) July 28, 2015
Like its Boston cousin, the Buffalo pile is functioning very much like a glacier, with its own microclimate that keeps its core chilly. But the soil that’s accumulated on top of the heap acts as an insulator, too. Some believe a good rainstorm will accelerate the melting process. But with any luck, Buffalo’s snow will stick around until winter.
[WGRZ]
