New England Numbers: Snow

$139.99
price of a swinging “plow-proof” mailbox made by MainelyMetals of Pittston, Maine

35
mph or greater wind speed, with snow visibility less than a quarter-mile for at least three hours: official National Weather Service definition of blizzard

83
pounds per square foot: snow-bearing capacity requirement for roofs in coastal Maine (New Jersey roof requirement: only 21 pounds per square foot)

80
different categories of snow crystals described in Magano/Lee field guide

2,000,000,000
gallons of water used annually by Vermont ski areas to make snow

30
decibels: sound level of falling snow, measured from underwater (inaudible by humans, but reportedly annoying to porpoises)

10
inches: snow depth with an R-value equal to 6 inches of fiberglass insulation

13,000,000
pounds of artificial snow used to build a record-setting (122 feet 1 inch) snowwoman in Bethel, Maine, last winter