“How much snow did you get?” Total snow accumulation too often turns to a “fish tale.” After a storm passes, everyone wants to know and share what they heard. Before long, that three inch snowfall has turned into another epic blizzard for the region.
This may be fine for neighborly bragging about how much someone has shoveled, but these inaccurate numbers blowing in the wind are not helpful to those of us who manage commercial properties.
It is important that you and your snow contractor agree to use a third-party weather service to provide you both a Certified Snowfall Total (CST). This will offer you the protection and data to understand the services that you receive throughout each event.
So what do you get from a CST? Within 48 hours after an event you should receive information detailing snow and ice data specific to your zip code. This detailed information will help you understand how the storm occurred and why your snow contractor serviced your property the way that they did.
This information may help you understand why it was necessary to salt in the middle of an event due to a sleet changeover. Or you may gain an understanding of when the trigger depth was reached to begin your service. The CST will offer answers to a variety of questions that may come up.
At Sauers, we use WeatherWorks, but there are several other reputable services like The Weather Pros or Certified Snow Totals to choose from. It is up to you and your contractor to decide on who will offer you the CST services that you need, but then you will both know with confidence that you are receiving the accurate snow total information that you need.