Boston waves goodbye as last pile of snow finally melts
Digital Reporter
Thursday, July 16, 2015, 7:46 AM - At last, residents in Boston say goodbye to the crippling February snow storm that hit Boston, Massachusetts, dumping more than 200 cm of snow on the city and setting an all-time seasonal snowfall record for the area.
Four months later and mayor Martin Walsh happily declared on Twitter that the last remaining snow pile in Boston’s Seaport District ceased.
I'm pleased to announce the #BOSMeltNow challenge has come to a close, as the pile officially melted today, July 14. (1/3)
— Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) July 14, 2015
“I’m pleased to announce the #BOSMeltNow challenge has come to a close, as the pile officially melted today, July 14,” he wrote, referring to a social media stunt that encouraged Bostonians to guess which day the last bit of snow would dissolve.
The 75-foot-tall pile of snow was one of many snow farms built in unused parking lots around the city during winter. An unseasonably warm spring was thought to melt the large snow mounds a lot sooner, Boston’s commissioner of public works Michael Dennehy, noted.
Earlier in July, daily highs in the 25-30-degree-range weren't enough to completely melt the layers-upon-layers of snow and ice that accumulated in the Seaport district.
“We haven’t gotten the rain – the spring rain we thought we were going to get,” Dennehy told NPR last week. “And if you look at the pile, it’s completely encapsulated in dirt and debris. I don’t think the sun has a chance to get at it. It appears as if it’s melting from the bottom up at times.”
Here’s what people had to say on social media about the departure of the notorious snow pile on Tide Street.
Our nightmare is officially over! https://t.co/Ez0GdUlncP
— Charlie Baker (@CharlieBakerMA) July 14, 2015
Did you hear?! That epic Boston snow pile has FINALLY melted after the snowiest season on record: pic.twitter.com/xXbC5ZazYp
— Ginger Zee (@Ginger_Zee) July 16, 2015
Last snow pile finally melts in my old hometown of Boston. https://t.co/eqvIldU4TL pic.twitter.com/0ZY4VODoRX
— Marilyn Santiesteban (@MarilynSanti) July 15, 2015
The last remaining pile of snow in Boston has finally melted https://t.co/MDGZ8C2Cvu #Technology pic.twitter.com/LXtCukkAeq
— Haasan Zaidi (@haasanz) July 14, 2015
A hilariously disgusting video: 'Boston Snow Farm Skiing' https://t.co/yyip1dWNgQ #Vimeo #blech #winter2015
— Marshall Dean (@MartialMarshall) April 15, 2015
BRUTAL WINTER LEADS TO MASSIVE SNOW PILE IN NEW BRUNSWICK
Boston's plight is all too familiar to the people Moncton, New Brunswick, who saw nearly 400 cm of snow between November and March, creating a huge snow pile that was featured in a viral YouTube video.
But Moncton's pile didn't stick around nearly as long.
By May 20 the snow mountain was a shell of its former self.
Spotted a decent sized bank still hanging around in #Moncton #Snow pic.twitter.com/M1BD3eWuII
— Nathan Coleman (@NateTWN) May 20, 2015
According to Nova Weather, the area was completely free of snow by mid-June.
Source: Nova Weather | CBC | NPR
Additional reporting by Leeanna McLean