Heavy precipitation in the form of snow over an extended period of time, accompanied by winds exceeding 12 m/s, is classified as a hydrometeorological disaster. In such conditions, snow drifts are inevitable.
Heavy snowfalls
Snow drifts, or snowdrifts, are bizarre snow objects formed under the influence of wind. Snow mounds resemble sand dunes and are formed in the same way. The wind in gusts moves the snow mass, which accumulates in the place where the air flow slows down. Snowdrifts usually take on bizarre forms of ridges and slopes.
Rules of conduct during a snowstorm
If you live in a country with a harsh climate, where you won’t surprise anyone with a snowstorm in winter, you know the rules of behavior during a snowstorm, including on the road, if heavy snowfall, including accompanied by wind, overtook you on the way.
Rescuers do not recommend leaving the house during a snowstorm, especially if there is a tendency to increase it. Only in case of emergencyhit the road. Let your family or neighbors know about your itinerary. It is advisable not to go alone even on short trips.
Driving during a blizzard is only allowed on major roads and highways. But even there you can be trapped. A snow drift on the track can be a very unpleasant and difficult obstacle to overcome.
If you need to stop along the way, do not go far from the car, it should always be within sight. During a blizzard, it is very easy to lose your bearings due to reduced visibility.
When forced to stop on the road, signal the alarm - intermittent beeps are clear to any road user. Wait for help inside the car. Snowdrifts, blizzards are very insidious. Often people overestimate their strength, trying to get out of a skid on their own on foot. You can set off on a journey only if the direction of movement is precisely known or a landmark is visible - the light of the settlement. Or you can stay in the car with the engine running, with the window slightly open to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
Forest belt as road protection from snowdrifts
In order to make roads safer for motorists during heavy snowfall, it is very important to take the necessary measures to prevent the formation of snowdrifts. An effective means of protecting roads from snow drifts is green plantations along the roads. Trees and shrubs reduce the speed of gusts of wind, as a result of whichOn the leeward side, near the plantations, a snowdrift is formed, the edges of which are flat. In the immediate vicinity of the roadway, as a rule, the thickness of the snow cover is minimal. Tree plantings are more effective than shrubs as they dampen wind speed more.
Fixed barriers
Often, instead of green spaces, special stationary snow barriers are used. Such structures can be made of different materials, wood is often used. Stationary barriers are a rather expensive structure. But it justifies itself, since significant funds can be saved due to a one-time installation, there is no need to spend money on annual transportation to the place of installation of barriers and dismantling. These structures are installed in areas where protection from snow drifts is needed in winter, and from sandstorms at other times of the year. The design feature is that it not only dampens the wind speed, but also changes its direction, thereby “taking away” the snow from the roadway. To do this, a smooth rounding is provided in the upper part of the barrier fabric.
Temporary barrier structures
In places where there are no forest plantations along the roads and it is impractical to install stationary barrier structures, temporary fences are installed with the onset of the snowfall season. Their task is not only to prevent the formation of snow drifts on the roads, but also to keep as much snow as possible on the fields, which will subsequently have a positive effectin the harvest.
Barrier structures are wooden lattice shields installed at an angle on special supports. Modular barriers are the only way, if necessary, to protect roads that lie among the slopes from snow drifts. In such cases, individual modules are placed on a slope in several rows.
With the development of technology, high-strength polymer meshes are increasingly being used instead of wooden shields. They have a number of advantages over wooden structures:
- more resistant to aggressive environments;
- more convenient to store - nets are stored in rolls;
- simple installation and dismantling, as the mesh is attached to the installed supports with one long web.
Snow drifts on the roads cause a lot of inconvenience to motorists and negatively affect traffic. Their impact on transportation could be greater than the snowfall itself.
Basics of snowdrift control
Snow obstacles have a negative impact on transport traffic. Knowledge of the principles of the formation of snowdrifts allows you to control this process or at least correct it. However, it will not be possible to avoid their formation if the snowfall is accompanied by gusts of wind. Somewhere the mass will accumulate.
Control snow drifts:
- determine the direction of the wind;
- install a barrier that stops airflow or slows it down in a place where you think the appearance of a snowdriftacceptable.
There is another way to eliminate snow drifts - with a shovel. But this method is very laborious and inefficient. It should be counted on only as a last resort, when the time for preventive measures is lost.
