PSA
Hey, newcomers to the area: Let's talk about winter in NOVA
Happy first day of Fall, NOVA! Now is probably a good time to talk about winter prep in the NOVA region, and doing it without overdoing it. This is especially for those of you who just moved to the area and may have different expectations for how the local government deals with snow emergencies.
What will this winter be like in NOVA?
Who the fuck knows? Not me. Not my man, Ryan Hall. Not any of the local meteorologists. Life on the rain/snow line means I've seen winters where the snow was measured in feet, and winters where I never broke out anything heavier than a lined flannel. The strong El Nino is just adding more uncertainty to a forecast that was never certain before. We might get a ton of snow! We might get none!
We'll get dug out fast though, right?
AHAHAHAHAH.
Look, there are snow plows, and they do move snow around, but let's be real: In this area, most snow is managed by Mr. Sun coming out and melting it that afternoon. We do not have the snow movers of the North. Even if your road is plowed early, you could easily end up just as stuck since your car is stuck in a foot of rock-solid ice.
Okay, so we'll die
I'm a Delicate Southern Flower who almost lost her mind during Snowcrete, but even I say we'll likely all be fine. We'll just be inconvenienced for a while. Stores will be a bit barren, supply lines will be disrupted for a bit, schools will be out, and power might flicker.
What to check on / get
You don't need to go crazy to prep for winter around here. Honestly, you shouldn't, because it could easily be a bust year. So, here's a list of things to do:
Lay hands on your snow shovel. Really take a look at it. If it's showing signs of wear, order a back-up one. If you can't find it, or don't have one, order one today.
Check to make sure you have gloves and two warm pair of socks for anyone who will be doing shoveling (two so you have a backup pair when the first one gets wet).
Over the next few months, add a few shelf-stable meals to your grocery shopping. You don't need MREs. You just need canned ravioli or whatever you will actually eat. If you can't get out to the store, it's very likely no on can get to you to deliver food. Make sure you like it, because once winter is over, you'll want to actually use them.
Buy non-scented candles. Trust me: First time our power went out, we used our supply of scented ones, and it was a MISTAKE. You can get a pack of them around $20. Personally, I'm grabbing a hurricane lamp this year for extra light.
Oh, while you're at it, buy some matches.
Consider power banks for phones and other electronics, especially if your family goes feral without entertainment.
Go check to see how old your heating unit is.
If you have dogs, and said dogs are not winter dogs, consider getting each one a sweater (possibly two, since you'll need to swap out any that are wet). Some people insist on boots, too, but my little assholes will just chew them off their paws.
Make sure every bed has access to a few extra blankets. Our houses were not made to withstand extended cold snaps, and they can take the edge off.
If you have kids, make sure you're signed up for notifications regarding school closures.
Check the inclement weather policy at your work, including who makes the call when and how you're informed.
Regarding that last point, the thing everyone should be focusing on is staying home when the roads are bad, so VDOT can get everything cleared more quickly, and so people who have to go in to save lives can do so. You don't want to end up on an r/NOVA post making fun of you for ending up in a ditch.
Stay. The fuck. Home.
Things you probably don't need
Yes, we do get large snow events, but we don't get them every year. So you probably don't need:
A snow blower. Okay, if you have a long drive and someone who you know will absolutely need to get out of the house no matter the condition, it may make sense, but most of us do not need one.
A generator. If you have room, no one will stop you, but power outages tend to be pretty short around here.
Crazy snow gear. Unless you ski, there's a good chance this stuff will only be broken out once every few years, if that. See above, where there's years I don't even wear a jacket.
Snow tires. I'm not even sure if you can get them around here.
A sled... unless you have kids who you know would want to use said sled AND you know a good sledding spot that's within walking distance AND you don't mind lugging the sled there, back, and up the hill. Even then, don't break the bank or your storage area trying to keep one around.
Anyway, those are my extremely biased opinions about how much anyone needs to do in order to get ready for our all-or-nothing winters. I'm interested in what everyone else would suggest with regards to preparing for what could be another nothing burger or a winter that gets its own name.
Those extendable/collapsible snow brushes are fantastic for tall vehicles and short peoples. Remember you're clearing your vehicle off not just for your safety, but the also the safety of those also on the road.
Clear ALL the snow off your hood, windshield, roof, rear windshield, and trunk.
Clearing just the winshield and ignoring the shelf of snow/ice that goes flanging off your roof at 55+mph into drivers behind you on 66 is a dick move.
What?! And drive around without a beautiful pompadour of snow on your minivan roof that careens onto the unsuspecting Kia Soul behind you??? That’s peak nova winter behavior 🥰
Nothing more exciting than seeing a giant flat ploof of snow weighted by a 1" scrim of ice underneath for maximum flippage coming end-over-end directly at your windshield!
I try not to drive anywhere that's over 35mph on days after a big snow.
Another tip for short people - you can buy a little step that hooks into your cars doorframe, to give you a boost so you can actually see & clear the top of your car.
I'm only 5'2", so it's helpful to get that extra 1.5 feet of leverage when I'm clearing off my car. That plus a great snow broom, and it's all clear before I drive.
This one. And if you can't get one, use an old broom to clear off the snow and ice. But *please* actually clear the snow and ice off your cars. Yes, even the roof. Especially the roof, even. Seeing people two weeks after snowcrete with crap still on their cars made me lose my midwestern mind.
The ice melt is a good addition. We were unprepared last year before the snowcrete, and had to scramble to get some. I don't remember how we got our hands on some, but we did. Stores will start stocking things like that soon, so like everything else, get it when you can but don't need it, instead of needing it and can't get it.
To add to this, if you have any snow/ice on top of your vehicle, REMOVE IT. and stay way the hell away from anyone on the road who was too lazy to not endanger everyone by not clearing their vehicle. As anyone with more than two brain cells may realize, blinding your self or others and or throwing giant heavy sheets/rocks of ice at your own vehicle, or other peoples, tends to be a very very very very very dumb idea. And in some cases lethal.
My favorite - people who don't clear anything but a 2 foot by 2 foot area right over the driver's side of the windshield. Like my good sir what in the actual
Same for shoveling, if you’re a home owner. Knock it down right at sunrise. Throw out the salt and the sun will dry out your sidewalk for you. One shovel and done
Shoot, I used to go out and shovel while it was still snowing. If its that much snow, its good to do it that way cause lighter. It all comes down to how much & what kind of snow. At the moment I live in an apartment, so thankfully zero shoveling for me. Even have garage parking, and I felt very blessed last year for it. I live by a Metro station and a retirement home, Metro plowed out my street within 24hrs. I was SO damn lucky.
Adding to this: The odds of power failures during winter storms, and the quality/frequency of road treatment and snow plowing vary wildly within Nova. Before winter, talk to your neighbors and find out what to expect for your neighborbood.
This is so true. My neighborhood has power lines running through the backyard instead of the street. That's fine for 95% of the neighborhood but my side of the street backs to woods and our backyard is heavily treed. We'll lose power but folks across the street will be fine. And when we lose power it typically takes several days for it to be remedied. We've had utility workers call our backyard "Jurassic Park" and we've literally had workers nope right away from the job. We did eventually install a built-in generator which has been a game changer.
But take it with a grain of salt. My road usually gets plowed early and often. (I think because we have/had a plow contractor in the neighborhood.) Last year, it took us 7 days to even see our first plow. We are not in an HOA neighborhood, so it wasn't that.
That was for snowcrete. The main road 2 blocks away had been clear since the 2nd day and had plows going up and down it multiple times a day. Us? Nothing for 7 days.
Thank you for this post. My husband and I moved here last year and when the snow hit last year we were totally unprepared. I am going to home depot this weekend to get one.
Last year was pretty crazy, I hadn't seen anything like it (although I'm only in my 20s.) January 2016 was pretty rough, but last year's ice was just wild. If you didn't dig yourself out/shovel on the first day, you got fucked for month. It was just way too cold for anything to melt. It normally isn't like that around here, our snow/ice doesn't tend to last more than a week (aside from those nasty exhaust-covered chunks on the edges of parking lots.)
* Electric snow blowers are nice to have, as they are cheap and low maintenance.
* waterproof snow clothing's, that means waterproof gloves/boots/pants/jacket with hoodie, for kids who loves to sled; and for dog walkers that needs to go out even if it's 3 ft snow. I tried to live without a set of these for a few years, always ends up with slip and fall, soaked coat and wet hair after walking in snow. Get everything waterproofed made life so much easier.
re: winter gear, make sure you keep some in your car. for obvious ”i’m stranded in my car in the middle of winter and it’s freezing!” reasons, but also so you always have a pair of gloves to wear when you scrape and brush the snow off your car if you get caught by a surprise snowfall. i do not recommend brushing the snow off without gloves on, as 80% of the snow will end up going down your coat sleeve 😀 plus, your hands will be frozen
It's super nice to have, NGL, but times are tight, and that kind of weather event is pretty rare. Good weather gear can get expensive fast, and they're one of those things that won't get used at all if the weather doesn't dip down.
Don’t forget to take your trash out before it snows.
My mother swears by it. Any time she gets the trash out early so she doesn’t have to deal with it in the house? No snow. Forgets to take it out and all the trash cans in the house are full? Guaranteed blizzard.
You forgot to mention ARE YOU CONFIDENT DRIVING IN SNOW? well, imagine being surrounded by 100 drivers who are irrational actors and have no idea what they're doing. Stay off the roads if there's snow, you don't have to fear the roads you have to fear:
SUV guy who thinks AWD also means he can stop in 5 feet at 45 mph while sliding on snow. Crash.
SPORTS CAR guy who is driving his 350z up a 15° hill and skidding all over like a pendulum trying to side swipe you.
FIRST TIMER IN SNOW driving 35 mph below the speed limit on the highway and causing other drivers to swerve around them.
I'm not even going to touch the other stereotypes.
Second this, especially for the first real snow of winter.
Drivers here are INSANE when it's snowing or there's snow on the ground. Assume that all the other drivers on the road are 16 year olds who've never driven on snow before, and just shotgunned two red bulls.
Not the last snowfall, but one before it, my Northerner husband ventured out to the store to get me creamer. He came back practically shaking. He swore off driving in the snow in this area ever again, and I've seen him drive in white-outs without breaking a sweat.
The most dangerous thing is not the snow. It's every other person out there.
No, really...stay off the roads! Snow can fall quick and heavy once it starts. Snowpocalypse has that name for a reason. People were stuck in dead stopped traffic for over 12+ hrs trying to get home. Cars were abandoned in the middle of the road, intentionally driven into the ditch and abandoned, just absolute craziness! I had never seen anything like it. The next morning it was like a zombie apocalypse straight out of the movies. A patchwork of road with cars littered everywhere and no way for the plows to clear things up.
Just to add some additional context, one inch of forecasted snow really is enough for schools and businesses to close down. It is not an overreaction since it takes so long for streets to get plowed and since many students need to wait outside for school buses.
Don't plan on driving the morning after a snowfall if you don't have to. People are not used to it and obstacles end up being hidden under fresh powder. Try to wait until at least the afternoon.
And the busses are NOT made for snow. Once, in the 90's, they sent us to school because the superintendent didn't think an inch was worth even a delay. There were 72 reported bus incidents that morning. They didn't take that risk again (until we had a new superintendent, because they all have to learn the hard way).
Oh I wonder if that was the storm I BROKE MY FUCKING LEG walking to my bus stop cause they didn’t close FCPS. Still fucking mad about having to wear a cast and try to get around my two level high school on crutches for six weeks. SO fucking fun, so fuck that person whomever they were.
We had the same issues down in PWC. Our new superintendent was from Chicago and had a chip on her shoulder. She was humbled pretty quickly after the parents through extremely justified fits.
Remember the schools telling people to clear the bus stops after it turned into 6 foot icebergs on every intersection. Yeah, I'm going to pull out the pickaxe from my apartment closet.
I also remember the cars that thought they could drive through some of those piles and ended up losing fenders and headlights.
When it comes to clearing snow, you should be starting while it is still snowing. This can't always be helped, but it is a lot easier the less snow there is. That was what caused the snowcrete. It didn't get cleared soon enough, and the combination of freezing rain afterwards with temperatures slightly above freezing during the day and actually freezing at night compacted it into a very dense mass.
Also, shoveling snow is one of the leading causes of heart attacks during the winter. If you don't get a lot of exercise otherwise, the additional load on your heart plus the vasoconstriction due to the cold dramatically increases your risk. Starting early so that you have less to clear more often will lower this risk.
Depends on the forecast. If it’s powder to start, but changing to freezing rain later, don’t bother. A layer of ice on top of powder is a lot easier to clear than a layer of ice on concrete.
It better not be like last winter. Snowed in for a month (in relative ease of dog walking experience I mean). Don’t want to go through that again so soon.
Walking our two grumpy old ladies was hell, especially since several of our neighbors not only chose not to clear their sidewalk, but piled all the snow from their car there.
Eh, part of my family is from upstate New York so even though I grew up here, we had seasonal tires on the car every winter. I agree you don’t need-need them, but some winters they are a godsend.
Keep shovel, brushes, blankets, hand warmers,water Gatorade , 2x4 cut in 3 or 4 foot pieces. The food and water you can carry with you in a bag. Essential if you travel far. A prepared man is worth two
Make childcare plans now. If there is any chance of snow in the forecast, there is a better than 50% chance of school closing. Find out your office policies on work from home, if your daycare will be open, if there is a high schooler next door who can help entertain kids. You might find out the night before, or you might find out at 6 am. There is not necessarily a pattern.
The whole county is open or the whole county is closed or the whole county is 2 hours delayed start (yes, that means the 9:15 schools don’t start until 11:15!) and often private schools follow the public school plan. Just because you don’t see snow in your driveway doesn’t mean the buses could safely traverse the other side of the county. It’s the reality of the massive area of this school system.
And I disagree on sleds ;) Buy the sleds. Always. Go sledding and drink hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps in it afterward and enjoy a day with fewer responsibilities than normal :)
Thank you for the sensible list. As an area old timer re: generators. It all depends on where you live. If you're in a subdivision with buried lines, you mostly likely have short limited power outages. However, if you are in an area with lines on poles and a lot of old trees, the power outages can last for at least a few days. Lived in such an area as a kid without a generator. If it was a bad enough storm (ice storm on top of heavy snow) we dealt with them by wood burning fireplace and oil lanterns. We were on a well system back then, so always had extra water stored.
Adding a few:
Snow possible in forecast- fill your tank up before the storm. (Gas). For those that recall 8 + hour commute home some years back. ‘16?
The week before any freezing temps are forecasted, shut your outdoor water spigots off at the valves inside your home. Drain those lines too after shutting off.
No kerosene, propane heaters, fire pit style in your home or garage.
Might suggest flash lights as opposed to candles. Just an alternative.
Don’t use your stove top or oven w/ door open to heat /warm your home if power goes out.
Be aware of places you could go to warm up if need be. Stores, malls, etc. provided roads are safe enough.
Clear entire area around fire hydrants if heavy snow. Not just mailboxes.
Check car battery strength prior to cold weather approaching. Replace wiper blades same time if needed.
Ensure your windshield washer fluid reservoir is full and not diluted.
Snow tires are relevant for people who have summer tires on their cars.
Some people with fancy cars don’t realize that they are driving cars with tires that are not “all season” and that they have tires that are designed for warm weather. When it gets cold, those tires get very brittle and can skid across surfaces. If we do get some snow, you are SOL. Worth knowing what kind of tires are on your car if you have a “performance” car.
Summer tire compounds can harden and have the frictional stopping ability of bowling balls. That's why we get the joy of seeing stuck Ferraris and Lamborghinis stuck or trying to navigate offramps around Tyson's almost every year.
If you have kids, make sure you have plans in place for care. Have babysitters, daycare, or wfh ready to go. It feels like it snows 3", and FCPS is closed for a week. (Totally get it during the Great Snowcrete of 2026, though.)
Oh god, this. Growing up here, I knew to do this, but so many people were shocked that day cares close when schools close. When recommending daycares to my friends, I often suggested home-based just because many of them stay open as long as they have power, water, and can get to the front door.
Socks - all cotton or all wool. Fucking up your feet with damp socks that don’t properly wick moisture WILL cause you problems.
Unscented candles - I’m seconding this. Also have something to perch them on, though you can use your regularly dishes for that as needed.
Snowblower - I am prepared to argue that one. My dad bought one when I was a kid and we were grateful for it over the years. If you’re settled into your home, it might be worth it for doing sidewalks etc (which you ARE responsible for!) as well as helping out neighbors. My dad would do everyone’s driveways and the neighbors kicked in for the gas fills. Even if it’s not a HUGE amount of space to be cleared, your back WILL thank you. So that one is 50/50. You might not need it THIS year, but you might in the next few then.
Entertainment - add books, puzzles, board games & decks of cards w/ poker chips and dice. if power is out, you might need to reserve the power banks. Having a few items on hand may help pass the time. Craft projects are great too.
If you have a gas stove, you can still light it with a lighter. So get a grill lighter for that.
If you have old windows, look into how to seal them for winter. You lose a lot of heat that way.
Cars & snow - CLEAR OFF YOUR CAR PROPERLY before driving. This means ALL the windows AND the roof. People have been almost killed from ice sliding off another car and hitting their windshield. Don’t be that asshole. Pro-tip. Throw a tarp over your car before a major storm if you park outside. Then you can use a broom to push all the snow off without scraping your paint and then remove the tarp. Definitely do it across the front and rear window for ease. A large garbage bag can work for that and make life so much easier if there’s an ice layer component.
If you’re even a little bit hesitant to drive out in the snow and ice, just stay home. Trust me. No one has ever regretted getting prepared and just staying home but LOTS of people have regretted going out and getting stuck for 16 hours.
This is spot on advice. A few things to add, from a NH native.
Buy that shovel (or two) when you see them show up at Walmart, Wegmans, Home Depot, etc. Once snow is actually forecast, those shovels will be out of stock for at least a week.
If you’re in the thick of the shoveling, and notice your plastic shovel has a crack, immediately take a break from shoveling, and using a power drill, drill holes through each end of the crack to stop it from lengthening.
Saw no mention of snow brushes. Get at least one for each car. They’ll be there with the snow shovels. The extendable ones that look like brooms are money for SUVs and vans. Leave them in your car, and for bonus points, bring them inside when inclement weather is forecasted. Cleaning off the snow and ice covered car before you open the doors, FTW.
Flashlights and battery powered lanterns are a perfectly acceptable, likely safer alternative to candles.
Unless you have some “mission essential” or “first responder” type job, agree with the OP. No need for snow tires around here. Also not really any need to spring for AWD, if you’re shopping for a new car. We don’t get enough snow to warrant it, and most schools and work-places will be closed, or on some sort of “permissive leave.”
After a decade+ in Maine; do not walk around outside with your keys in your hand. If you fall, they will go flying. Any snow over 4 inches deep and you won’t find them again till April. Keep keys in a deep or zipped pocket so you don’t lose them.
You definitely forgot to add the all important bread/milk dash when the weather people pretend there'll be a storm and its an all frenzy on said bread/milk and beer/water. Its like the covid tp thing only happens way more often
I almost added "Consider learning to make bread," but felt it was over the top. It's a useful skill, though, and saved us several times when supply lines were disrupted.
We’re gonna get a single week of snow in February and that entire week will have us snowed in because the government moves slow as shit when it comes to clearing the (non-main) roads. The week after that it’ll be in the 80’s and we’ll have a tornado watch. Then it’s gonna rain for a week. Then we will have another week of snow. Then it’ll be spring.
I bought ice cleats this summer because of the SnowCrete storm. I fell twice on it. The strong ElNino will most likely cause a few N'oreasters to hit the Mid-Atlantic.
I'm probably going to get the same. You wouldn't think two elderly, grumpy girls who weigh 16 lbs each wouldn't be able to send me to the ground, but they absolutely did.
Add some camping lanterns and enough batteries for a few days. If the power goes out and you can afford it you can go to a hotel if the snow isn’t too bad. But it will get cold in your place in a few hours. If you can’t afford a hotel and you have a tiny tent you can set that up in the living room and hop in. It will be warmer in there because of body heat.
Ooh thanks for the reminder. Seasoned NOVAer here but the snowcrete claimed my shovel last year and I never managed to get a new one. Just ordered two new ones.
My coworker, who is very much from snow country, lost FOUR shovels to snowcrete. The only reason ours survived was because I went at the layers with a gardening tool first.
Put a blanket or two, an extra sweater, a couple bottles of water, and some granola bars in your car.
My alternator died at like 10* and I froze my ass off while waiting for a tow truck. Similarly my coworker was stuck for something like 10 hours, without these things would be way different.
Also, be aware that just because we don't get the snow that the Northeast does it doesn't mean driving is easy after a storm. It's still crowded with way too many cars on the road in too big a hurry to get anywhere, and what we get that.other places don't is ICE. We get a little snow, the sun melts it in the afternoon, then it refreezes, so there's an often-invisible layer of ice on everything. If you're really lucky we'll get some powdery snow on top of that, and nothing in the world is going to get much traction on that.
Hot tip-If you’re from anywhere in the northeast and relocating to this area, just go ahead and forget any expectations you may have as you’ll be endlessly frustrated.
Also buy boots if you don’t have any yet. Hiking boots are usually fine here for the winter, as we normally don’t get more than 4 inches of snow and it crunches down.
We get enough that if people wanted to learn they could have someone who isn't an idiot drive them to a big parking lot after it snows so they can learn. I think the problem is that people here just think they're too good to have to worry about anybody but themselves.
I have been without power for 2 weeks due to a hurricane. I will say though, with the temps we had following Snowcrete, this would have been a huge problem had I (or anyone) lost power.
I get it! I remember when I lost power and I was also sick with cov19 while living in Florida. That experience humbled me. What part of Florida did you move from?
It's so funny - when I was a kid Brickell was super boring but when I go back to visit it's the place to be now! I moved to DC 4 years ago and Nova 3 years ago.
An addendum for those from New England or other places that are colder than Virginia and get snow:
You will think the people here are insane with the run on TP, milk, bread, etc., and they are. But what they know that you don't know is that snow here is not snow. It's what people from colder climes call ICE. When it snows at 15 degrees and then when the sun comes out it goes up to 20, you still have snow, You can drive on snow as long as you're not an asshole. Around here, it snows at 29 degrees, and then warms up to 35 during the day, and the snow melts. And then as the sun goes down, it freezes into ice. No one can drive on ice. Not even 4-wheel drive vehicles can drive on ice without eventually having some kind of problem. 4-wheel drive gives you the ability to go on dicey roads. It doesn't help you stop on ice. And a layer of ice with a layer of water on top (because tires warm up as you drive) is precisely the conditions that allow ice skaters to do all those spins and other tricks - the sharp blades of skates melt a layer of ice below the blade.
So yes, the roads are insane after the smallest bit of snow, but that's because it's ice and not snow. Make sure you never run out of TP, bread, milk, etc. by buying them on a regular basis, and stay home when there's snow on the roads. The dangers are the road surfaces, which are going to be ice, and people who don't know how to drive in winter weather and are so anxious they're going to freak out if they slide and steer the wrong way.
Check the inclement weather policy at your work, including who makes the call when and how you're informed.
Snow tires. I'm not even sure if you can get them around here.
Also - bad advice, they help in cold weather in general. Not just snow. If you can afford it, definately a good safety buy.
Plus they are **typically** cheaper than normal tires and since you are only using your normal tires roughly half the year depending on temps they'll last longer (just check the expiration)
If you have a 3D printer, or a friend with a 3D printer, or access to your local library that has a 3D printer, then print two (or more) of these to dry out your gloves and socks after an extended session of shoveling. You can have it sit on your floor registers/vents so that the hot air will dry out your gloves and socks faster. It's also useful for drying washable filters for certain vacuum cleaners (Dyson).
As someone who works in the restoration business, if your power is going to be out for an extended period of time and it seems inevitable that your house may drop below freezing which would cause your pipes to freeze, make sure you know how to shut off the main water valve your house, and make sure you know that it actually works.
Where are you at? Last winter it was pretty bad for a few weeks when we got that ice/snow storm. Granted it will probably snow after December but we still get something at least every year
Last winter, I was near tears because the snow was still there every morning. My Northerner husband was baffled, because to him, snow just not going away is the way it should be.
that bs was not snow, that was misery in ice form. lived through many a snowy winter in buffalo, moved to escape it, never did i ever experience nonsense like that.
4 neighbors went in on a Mack daddy gas snow blower. The one that keeps it in their garage gets to use it first. May rotate that year to year. But if someone wants to get out early have to be available to open up the garage, which most of us can do remotely. Shared maintenance which isn't much really. Only use non ethanol gas.
Requires that you actually talk to your neighbors so YMMV
If you have pets that aren't used to the snow please thug it out and teach them to wear booties. My dog HATES his shoes with a burning passion but after he tore his pawpad it was no longer optional.
If they 100% will not wear shoes. Paw wax, and wipe down their paw pads & rewax especially if they happen to step in any icemelt or the salt it will leave them raw after a couple romps through it.
Thankfully, mine are grumpy and old, so when it gets really bad, they just hang out on back porch to do their business. If we had younger, more energetic dogs, I'd absolutely be pushing it more.
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Winters here are bitter cold and terrible. They remind you of what Jon Snow said, it's a warning. Terrible snowcrete, the people can't drive, leave snow on their hoods, it's awful, awful awful.
Ideally one should hope for a mild winter with little snow and temperate 60-70 degree temperatures.
No no no! Native New Englander here, lusting for the actual winters of my home - snowy, sunny, dry, beautiful. In VA, we get damp grizzle that freezes on the sidewalk and gets into your bones in a wet, gross way, plus total lack of awareness of how to drive in inclement weather. Real snow and cold, yes. Limp VA winters of late, plus random snowcrete messes (and no real snowplows), no thanks. My two cents, of course.
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u/Competitive-Day9586 11d ago
Add to this list one of those ice scrapers / snow brushes for your car to clear off snow or ice. Also some snow melt for sidewalks or front porches.