Pittsburgh's erratic winters' impact on the snow removal business
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - We're coming off Pittsburgh's lowest seasonal snow total in more than 30 years. Only 17.6 inches of snow was measured in 2022. Over time, some winters end up being duds, but noticeable trends are occurring, especially in more recent winters.
"If you go into winter needing it to snow, you're going to be in big trouble," said Garrett Smith, a snow plow driver.
For plow drivers, like Smith, counting on snow in Pittsburgh during the winter used to seem like a good bet, but the safer bet is now on the fact that winters in Pittsburgh are becoming more erratic.
Looking at the numbers, since 1945, there largely was consistency in snow days until 1983. Since then, there's a much different winter pattern. A pattern that is becoming increasingly more erratic with a warming planet.
The numbers are showing up on the spreadsheets, but those numbers mean something, and what those numbers mean are being felt financially. Smith has been in the landscaping and snow removal business for more than 30 years, and he says a lot has changed since he started.
"To me, it just seems like all the seasons are about a month later than they used to be, in my opinion. You know, winter doesn't start until late December now. It seems like all the seasons are a month later than they used to be, in my opinion," said Smith.
The thing is, Pittsburgh is seeing winters with more precipitation, but that precipitation can often end up more wet than white. Last winter is a prime example of that. The area had almost 29 inches of precipitation, which accounts for rain and snow melted for measuring.
That resulted in barely over 17-and-a-half inches of snow. In 2018, Pittsburgh saw just over 31-and-a-half inches of rain and the liquid equivalent of snow. That year, however, saw nearly 60 inches of snowfall.
Our coldest time of the year is not as cold as it used to be. According to Climate Central, winter is the fastest warming season, and Pittsburgh's coldest part of the year is about three-and-a-half degrees warmer now than it was in 1970.
This makes the snow business a tough business.
"Good for the homeowners. Good for the businesses. They saved a lot of money, but not so much for the businesses that were in the snow removal business," added Tom Roush, a former snow plow driver.
That said, how can the people we count on to dig us out in winter keep up when they can't count on winter to make the expense worth their while?
"There's a lot of guys getting out of it. They don't see that point in the investments and you know, the getting up at all hours of the night, basically don't sleep all winter long and investing just in one dump truck $120, $130, $140,000, and they just don't see the point," Smith said.
"So, a lot of guys have been getting out of it. We're just trying to push harder in the other seasons that you don't really need the snow removal and financially for yourself."
One of those who left the business is Roush who pushed snow for nearly a decade near Ellwood City.
"Last year was really the final nail in the coffin. You know, it's just too sporadic anymore. I didn't do grass cutting and all that kind of stuff in the summertime. So, you have a $100,000 rig sitting there. you're buying salt because you never know what's going to come about. You could get, you know, 12 inches, you could get nothing. And so, you got that sitting there you got equipment to load it. It's just too sporadic anymore," Roush added.
Now, with warmer winters means more small business snow removers will have a harder time remaining in the business. Less competition traditionally results in higher prices, and that is one way a couple degrees of warming could start decreasing pocketbooks.
For stories about how winter is changing across the country, and to watch the documentary 'On the Dot' please visit Arctic melting foreshadows America's climate future.