When should you shovel snow from your driveway? A meteorologist weighs the pros and cons

Snow is piling up on driveways around the Delaware Valley Sunday, with more than six inches of powder already reported in some spots across the region.

So, is there a "better" time to shovel? Early and often? Or should you wait until the storm has passed?

Shovel often

Let's say you subscribe to the theory of shoveling often and in small doses.

This afternoon, the snow is going to change over to sleet and freezing rain. So if you shovel a few inches off the ground now, once that freezing precipitation starts to fall, it will create a layer of ice near the concrete – ice that may be more difficult to get rid of later.

You can always treat your driveway and sidewalk with salt, but you might need to use a lot more of it.

The pro with the "early and often" is smaller doses of exertion.

Wait to shovel

Now, if you wait to shovel until the entire snowstorm is over, that layer of freezing rain will develop on top of the snow.

It'll be easier to shovel everything down to the ground, but you'll definitely have more snow to remove at once.