Long Island is Snow Country
Long Islanders are learning about rakes to relieve snow pressure on their housetops. Here, a man scrapes snow from his roof in Pembroke, Mass. Credit: AP
Snow is me.
That's what Long Islanders are saying these days. The heat wave that hit the Northeast in July is a half-remembered dream. Temperatures soared over 100 with the heat index, then, and winter looked like an escape. But after digging out from another snowstorm, eggs fried on the sidewalk doesn't sound too bad - at least the sidewalk would be visible.
Now, with up to 30 inches of snow in some areas, the National Weather Service has suggested that Long Islanders remove snow from the roofs of their homes to take the weight off. As the snow melts, it stays deceptively heavy, testing the mettle of slanted and flat roofs alike. Who would've thought you'd have to clear off your house before you go to work?
Do-it-yourselfers can use a tool called a "snow rake" - a long metal pole with a wide, flat blade at the end - to pull the snow down. Never heard of one before? You're not alone, but still, they've flown off the shelves of local hardware stores this year, with many locations selling out.
Meanwhile, 2,000 miles to the north, snow has been scarce. Residents of Iqaluit, the capital city of Canada's northernmost territory, were forced to cancel their annual New Year's snowmobile parade. The citizens - many of them Inuit - protested, saying they want their snow back.
They can have it.
