In April, as late winter transitions into early spring, what little snow lingers on paved lots could become very dangerous.
In commercial lots where truck trailers are parked closely together, constant shade reigns and snow might only partially melt. This can be true of any paved area that gets little sun.
What happens is that melting snow refreezes. These refrozen clumps are slippery and treacherous, and they become hard as rock.
In one reported instance, a worker at a recycling company was searching for materials in parked trailers. Although there was no ice in the parking lot, and very little snow on the ground, between the trailers the snow was slightly deeper, but deceptive. The snow, through refreezing, had become rock hard and icy. The worker slipped in the refrozen snow, and fell on his leg, completely snapping and displacing his shin bone and fracturing his ankle. So slippery was the refrozen snow and ice that EMTs reported they had a difficult time getting footholds in the area.
Shaded areas with snow should be routinely cleared before they refreeze. Never trust clumps of snow frozen in a shady area, even if the rest of the landscape seems ice free.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.