In the minds of most people, the concepts of “snow” and “natural disaster” are loosely connected with one another. In fact, snow is almost always associated with something festive (usually the New Year), with beautiful views and romantic landscapes in paintings and films. But a natural disaster is something much more dynamic, more explosive. Meanwhile, snowfall, that is, the process of snowfall, can turn into a serious natural disaster - the whole question is in duration and intensity.
It all depends on the measure
In reality, the danger of snowfall depends on the same characteristic that makes other natural phenomena dangerous. By themselves, wind, rain or fire can be useful and necessary, but when they overcome a certain limit of measure, they turn into a natural disaster - hurricanes, floods, forest fires. So is snowfall: as long as it is weak (that is, its intensity is less than 0.1 millimeters per hour, the number of snowflakes per cubic meter is less than 10, and so on), it does not pose any threat. Moreover, snow cover is even necessary in winter conditions: having low thermal conductivity, it protects the soil and the plants in it from freezing in severe frosts.
Everything changes when the snowfall becomes not just heavy, but very heavy. At the same time, the danger of snowfall has increased many times with the development of civilization, the emergence of densely populated cities, transport routes, and the like. When snowfall intensity exceeds 20 millimeters in 12 hours, it becomes dangerous for man-made infrastructure. The situation becomes even more complicated if snowfalls are prolonged and are observed for many hours, or even several days. The accumulating snow cover covers streets and roads, and power lines break under its weight, leading to interruptions in power supply and communications. In addition, a very large snow cover leads to the collapse of roofs and even entire buildings.
If very heavy snowfalls are observed in regions with a warm climate, where snow is rare, this is fraught, firstly, with possible complications for the health and life of people and animals; secondly, a high risk of death of agricultural plants. When a strong snowfall is accompanied by a strong wind and a blizzard begins, this often makes impossible the last means of communication between settlements cut off by snow drifts and the outside world, aviation - and then the situation becomes truly critical.
Winter. Long-awaited vacation. Festive mood. Ski resort. Tatras. A most picturesque view from the fusion of winter and summer - snow-capped mountains and a bright, seemingly warm sun. Everything around sparkles like a New Year, inviting you to plunge headlong into this unforgettable atmosphere.
Languishing with anticipation, you try to quickly leave the gloomy and dark room of your hotel, striving for fresh air, under the caressing rays of the sun standing high at the zenith. Quickly putting on your ski suit and grabbing your skis, you finally run outside, happily rushing to the nearest ski slope. You eagerly look at the surroundings, enjoying the bizarre landscape; from the excess of feelings, tears well up in your eyes, which you immediately wipe away with the glove on your hand. And now you are already climbing the mountain, now you are standing at the top, fascinated by looking at the landscape that opens up for many kilometers.
But suddenly some discomfort arises in the eyes, different levels of the surface become difficult to distinguish. There is a feeling as if many small grains of sand have got into the eyes. Wondering where the sand came from in the snow, you often blink, hoping to wash it away with the tears flowing from your eyes, and the sensation of sand is also accompanied by a sting that becomes stronger every minute.
You return to your hotel's medical center to find out that the holiday has been ruined for several days. Because after a while the discomfort and pain are joined by inflammation of the eyes and swelling of the eyelids, the person becomes truly blind. Snow blindness occurs.
And it also happens. Taught by “experienced comrades”, remembering the danger of bright snow, you boldly put on the “sunglasses” that have been tested many times at warm resorts. And you go to the mountains, looking at the surrounding landscape without fear. Only after a while does discomfort appear again, a feeling of sand in the eyes, and then pain. Need I say that snow blindness also occurs after a few hours? Why is this happening?
Let's first figure out what this phenomenon is. Why did it get its name? "snow" blindness? And why doesn’t it arise in our home, when we spend almost days admiring the fallen snow, but it can arise literally in a couple of minutes spent in the sunny and snowy mountains?
In such mountains, especially in the pre-spring and spring periods, the activity of the Sun is especially high. At an altitude of 3000 meters or more, the layer of the atmosphere is quite thin, allowing many ultraviolet rays coming from the sun to pass through. Snow, as you know, reflects the light falling on it very well. Think about the snowy nights in your city. At this time of year it is much lighter outside at night than in summer, isn't it? The snow reflects the moonlight, further illuminating everything around. The same thing happens in winter in the sunny mountains, only up to 40% of sunlight, including ultraviolet radiation, is reflected. This phenomenon is more typical for the southern mountainous regions, but in spring it can also occur in the north.
As a result, the reflected rays hit the wide-open, curious eyes, causing a burn to the retina. Which manifests itself first as discomfort, and after a few hours the development of photophobia or even complete blindness (snow ophthalmia). There are known cases of mild forms of blindness occurring under the influence of sunlight reflected from the water surface.
It should be noted that in such mountains you need to remain vigilant even on cloudy days, when the sun does not seem to be particularly bright. It is believed that on such days the risk of developing snow blindness is even higher than on sunny days. The fact is that on a cloudy day, due to scattered light, everything around becomes equally white: the sky, the snow, and the ice. Hillocks and snow ledges, even large ones, do not cast shadows and become indistinguishable. Looking anxiously at the road, you have to strain your eyesight to the limit. Thus, the pupils dilate, and the eye is deprived of its natural protective mechanism, which, in bright light, limits the entry of reflected sunlight into it. A retinal burn occurs, snow blindness.
Even experienced skiers can become victims of this disease, since blindness does not develop immediately, but within 4-5 hours after exposure to light (although the exposure itself may last several minutes). The result may be the following: I was walking through a snowfield, my eyes were a little blinded, but it was tolerable, and in the evening problems appeared...
How does this disease manifest itself? How dangerous is she? As mentioned above, with snow blindness (snow ophthalmia), first there is discomfort in the eyes, a feeling of sand getting in, and lacrimation. Over time, pain in the eyes, redness of the mucous membrane, and swelling appear. Photophobia develops - intolerance, first to bright, and then to any, even relatively weak, light. After 4-5 hours, complete loss of vision may develop.
What to do if trouble overtakes you or someone you know? First of all, there is no need to panic. It should be noted that this phenomenon is reversible, and after a few days, as a rule, vision is completely restored without any consequences. The victim needs to close his eyes from the light (wear a mask or bandage) and take him to a dark room, where first aid is provided, and also call a doctor.
How have folk craftsmen treated snow blindness before? They used compresses, alcoholic tincture of opium, even snuff! As first aid for snow blindness, it is recommended to first wash the eyes with a weak solution of boric acid (Boric acid, acidum boricum), soda, a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) or strong iced tea. Then a dark blindfold or dark glasses are put on the eyes. Cold lotions are periodically applied to the eyes to reduce pain.
Experts prescribe disinfectants and sulfa drugs for the treatment of snow ophthalmia. But the main thing is to isolate your eyes from sunlight. The victim needs to be kept calm and placed in a darkened room. Often, if it is impossible to use medications, wearing a dark bandage is the only measure for this disease. As a rule, after 1-2 days the symptoms subside, and after 4-5 days the disease completely resolves. As mentioned above, vision is usually completely restored. However, there often remains increased sensitivity to bright light.
As you can see, the disease is quite unpleasant, lasts more than one day, and therefore can ruin your entire vacation. Therefore, when going to such sunny mountains, you should not forget about methods of preventing snow blindness. Forewarned is forearmed, right?
So, let's arm ourselves with glasses. Moreover, “multi-colored” sunglasses that are not dear to our hearts, carrying with them the memory of pleasant days spent at warm seaside resorts. Because many of these glasses protect from light, but do not protect from ultraviolet radiation, which easily penetrates through the glass. Cheap plastic glasses can even cause retinal burns because the pupil dilates in the dark. As a result, the penetrated ultraviolet light easily reaches the retina of the eye, causing a burn. Therefore, it is important that the certificate and the glasses themselves have a CE mark, which guarantees protection from ultraviolet radiation to the eyes.
If you don’t have glasses, or you lost them, broke them, or you just don’t like them, you can make substitutes from pieces of wood, cardboard, strips of dark fabric with pinholes or narrow slits for the eyes. You can also blacken the skin around your eyes with soot if you are not afraid to scare others with such war paint.
At the same time, you need to remember that glasses or their substitutes must be worn not only in bright weather, but also in cloudy weather, since in both cases there is a danger of snow blindness.
But what kind of glass should you use when choosing filter glasses? Experts' opinions differ here. Perhaps this is explained by the extent to which glass of one color or another made it possible to work, move, and conduct observations. Those. a lot depends on individual preferences. Most Arctic and Antarctic explorers prefer smoky-colored glasses. Smoke glasses have a significant advantage: by reducing the brightness of the light, they do not change the perception of surrounding objects.
Now, we hope, when going to the Tatras or other sunny mountains, you will look like real experienced skiers, having acquired everything you need for this pleasure, including well-chosen filter glasses.
When it comes to winter, we immediately think of snow fun and slides, completely forgetting about the other side of the coin, which is not nearly as fun - how our gardens feel under the cover of snow. Let's talk about how to protect perennial plants from the harmful effects of snow and frost.
Of course, under a blanket of snow, the beds feel quite good. But only if the snow is fluffy and soft. If it cakes or becomes covered with an ice crust, the consequences can be very unpleasant, since such a cover ceases to allow air to pass through, and the plants under it very quickly suffocate or freeze.
No less dangerous is the abundance of heavy wet snow. It accumulates on tree branches, and with the arrival of thaws, it becomes covered with a thick ice crust, which can easily break off the branches.
In addition, the accumulation of snow can collapse the canopies of buildings on your site, break the drain, or even break the electrical cable. Therefore, large deposits of snow should be disposed of whenever possible.
How to protect
With the onset of the first cold weather, there is no need to panic. The fact is that even the most heat-loving plants can easily withstand a slight drop in temperature - down to -7 degrees. In addition, the root system of plants suffers only when the ground freezes to a depth of more than 5 cm. It is precisely this situation (frosts below -7 degrees and deep freezing of the soil) that is an indication for covering plants. If you do this earlier, your plantings will suffer not from cold, but from overheating.
First of all, young seedlings should be covered - they are the ones most susceptible to low temperatures.
The optimal shelter option is spruce spruce branches - it not only protects from frost, but also retains snow. If a trip to the nearest forest plantation for the necessary material is not possible, as an alternative, you can use the remains of collected perennials, sawdust, peat and even burlap. The only thing you should not use is dry hay or straw: they often harbor rodents.
Video “How to properly cover plants for the winter”
In this video, an expert will tell and show how to properly cover plants for the winter.
What to do when icing
But the main danger to plants is not the frost or snow itself. Most of all, they suffer from small ice crystals that form in the tissues when they freeze. If the temperature drops slowly and then rises just as slowly, garden crops, as a rule, easily tolerate such situations and recover easily.
If cold weather comes suddenly, the consequences can be irreparable.
The farmer should monitor meteorological forecasts and organize protective shelters for his plantings in time to prevent them from becoming icy.
It is important to retain snow in the beds as much as possible - it plays the role of a kind of insulator that prevents the cold from reaching the root system or tender young shoots.
Snow brings not only harm to summer residents, but also benefit. But icing is undesirable for the garden. In this article we will talk about how to protect your plants from the elements during the winter months.
Snow cover is a high-quality heat-insulating material, because its thickness creates a special internal climate. Even if the thermometer drops very low, the plant will be much warmer under the snow. A cover half a meter thick will protect the soil from freezing.
The more snow in the garden, the easier it is for berries, fruit crops, perennials and other ornamental plants to survive the harsh winter. Also, the snow “blanket” protects vegetation from the burning rays of the sun. On the one hand, light and warmth are good, but on the other hand, their combination with wind and severe frost can damage green spaces.
The positive effect of snow is that during the spring melting it will fill the ground with moisture. Of course, this does not apply to lowlands. In such places, stagnation of moisture leads to rotting of the root system and seeds. In this case, it is necessary to resort to geoplastics - I level the territories.
If the winter is not very snowy, then gardeners even specially collect snow from areas and paths, and then insulate flower beds and tree trunks of fruit trees and shrubs with it.
On the white snow cover, traces of various pests that penetrate the garden or vegetable garden are clearly visible. Thus, the owner can always find out who is entering the territory in his absence.
Now let's talk a little about negative factors. If the snow is very wet and there is too much of it, it can break off tree branches. Numerous snowflakes cause particular harm to coniferous plants with a columnar crown shape. If the trees are not tied with rope for the winter, by spring they will become completely unsightly.
Soft and fluffy snow can do little harm, and when it melts and freezes again, it forms an ice crust under which plants cannot breathe. In addition, the weight of such an ice cover increases significantly; it literally tightly fetters the branch, which soon breaks off. Falling wet snow at sub-zero temperatures also causes a lot of harm.
Huge layers of snow not only harm green spaces, they can also damage the electrical cable in the country. A snow fall from the roof is very dangerous for a person passing by, and can also disrupt the drainage system. To avoid these unpleasant consequences, you can purchase special snow guards. The design is inexpensive and very easy to install.
Video “Sheltering plants for the winter”
Video about myths, mistakes and misconceptions when covering plants for the winter.
How to protect a plant
If frost has set in and the snow has not yet fallen, then you need to take care of how to protect the plant. Professionals advise starting work on winter shelter when the thermometer drops below zero and the soil freezes 5 cm. If you start insulating earlier, you can destroy the plants. This time they may die from overheating. When arranging a shelter, you should think about everything and build it in such a way that it provides shelter not only from frost, but also retains a large amount of snow.
You need to start with “young growth”, since it has a very weak root system, so even if you have a winter-hardy variety, it can be severely damaged by low temperatures. If plants grow in clay soil, they will need more time to recover in the spring, as this type of soil contains a large amount of water. With the onset of cold weather, it simply freezes. In spring, such plants take a long time to rehabilitate. Apple trees, garden strawberries, and many varieties of grapes definitely need shelter for the winter.
How to save your garden from icing
Spruce branches are very suitable for protection from frost and snow; they can be collected in the forest. They cover the plants with it and throw a layer of foliage on top, which is more than enough in the autumn. Fallen oak leaves are excellent because they practically do not rot. The result is a kind of layer cake that can trap snow and cover it from the wind.
You can also use sawdust, peat, and cover the plants with burlap. But straw and hay are not suitable, as they are an excellent refuge for rodents.
What is worse for plants is not frost, but ice. Since plants are made of water, ice crystals form when they freeze. But if cooling occurs slowly and gradually, then thawing occurs in the reverse order. Therefore, green space can survive very low temperatures.
There is a well-known experiment that was conducted back in Soviet times. Biologists were able to freeze a currant branch to -25 °C. It is interesting that the branch then not only came to life and was restored, it also bore excellent fruit.
A typical picture for any snowfall: cars are pushing through freshly fallen sediment, scattering clods with their wheels. It sticks to bumpers, sills and, especially intensively, in wheel arches. At first glance, everything is in order - the main thing is to keep your distance, not to rush and everything will be fine. However, it is precisely on such days that serious danger awaits the car owner from a completely different side. Snow stuck in the wheel arches is not nearly as harmless as it seems. As long as the car is moving in city traffic, there are no problems. , even when packed to capacity in the wheel arch, it remains quite loose and any movement of the wheels when turning (for example, onto a perpendicular street) brings down the accumulated snow mass, cutting it off like a milling cutter.
When driving for a long time on the highway, the situation may change. in the arch, without being disturbed for a long time, it manages to compact and cake. And if along the route there were areas sprinkled with de-icing agents, then the mass in the wheel arches also turns out to be saturated with melt moisture. After some time, it freezes in the cold into a monolithic piece of ice, practically “hugging” the wheel with minimal clearance. A similar picture can be observed when the car has strategic reserves of snow in the wings for the night. Before the morning, the snow also has time to turn into ice.
But you shouldn’t joke with him anymore. Firstly, ice can “grab” the suspension or braking system components. In this case, attempts to turn the steering wheel can end sadly, for example, for rubber boots. Without knowing this, you can “arrive” in a fairly short time to repair the suspension. There is no need to mention the case when calipers and pads are covered with frozen water. The first attempt to brake can lead to an accident. But even if important components and mechanisms are free of ice, it’s too early to rejoice. The danger from the presence of a block of ice between the wheel and the fender liner has not been canceled! When starting, the wheel can push it in whole or in part from its “home.” In this case, most likely, its fragments will stand apart between the tire and the fender liner. The force developed by the car's wheel will crush the ice, and maybe even the metal of the wing underneath it.
For this reason, the plastic fender liner may partially or even completely come off and fly out onto the road, or get stuck in the suspension arms and damage some boot. Keeping in mind the possibility of such consequences, it makes sense to monitor what is happening in the wheel arches of your car. Especially in the snow. To avoid the problems described above, it is enough to visually monitor the wheel arches for a long time. Having discovered accumulated snow, you can take, for example, a snow brush and use its handle to try to destroy the “snowdrift” and pick out its pieces outward.
