Does poking holes in the snow make it melt faster? We investigate
A viral TikTok clip suggests faster-melting snow could be just a broomstick away.
It can accumulate quickly, and snow is notorious for sticking around well past its welcome in densely packed banks.
Rumour has it, at least on the internet, that there are ways to speed up the melting process—from spreading fertilizer or sawdust on top of the snow to blasting it with heat.
But flamethrowers aren’t necessarily practical or cheap, or even safe, to use for this purpose.
Poking holes, on the other hand? That’s something anyone can do if they have access to a broom or similarly-sized cylindrical object.
A viral TikTok clip that’s been making the rounds lately has inspired many to try this perceived hack, with varying degrees of success.
So we decided to try it out for ourselves.
I conducted a loose experiment using various piles of compacted snow around the parking lot at The Weather Network’s headquarters in Oakville, Ont.
Check out my results in the video above.
Header image: Cheryl Santa Maria for The Weather Network.