How Sochi Is Making It Snow in a Subtropical Resort

How Sochi Is Making It Snow in a Subtropical Resort

So far, the Sochi Olympics has had its share of difficulties. But there might be a sort of reasonable explanation for that! You see, while Sochi’s organizers were letting everything else fall to the wayside, they were busy perfecting the one thing totally out of their control: the weather. Here’s how Sochi—which is reaching a high of 50 today—made it snow.

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The Incredible Urban Salt Mines Hiding Underneath Our Feet

The Incredible Urban Salt Mines Hiding Underneath Our Feet

Road salt is one of those city services that we take for granted, an invisible network infrastructure with a murky provenance. But though you may not know it, the salt on your roads might come from a sprawling, century-old mine right below your feet.

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The Northeast Is a Mess Because It’s Running Out of Salt

The Northeast Is a Mess Because It's Running Out of Salt

The Northeast may have had its fun mocking the South’s recent descent into chaos in the face of snow, but now it’s our turn to fall apart. This newest storm has shut down I-84—one of the region’s biggest highways—and crippled countless other roads. The culprit? We’re running out of salt.

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It’s so freaking warm in Alaska that roads turned into rivers

It's so freaking warm in Alaska that roads turned into rivers

NPR wasn’t kidding: Move to Alaska if you want to avoid the harsh winter in the rest of the US. Here’s proof: A road in Alaska flooded by snow melted by the high temperatures, 40 degrees above normal for this time of year. The temperatures are wreaking havoc in the Land of the Midnight Sun.

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This Graceful Flight Reveals the Gnarled Reality of Antarctica

Antarctica looks amazing from space—but this video shows that its gnarled canyons and caves look equally impressive close-up, too.

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Joel Huerta, wearing his brother’s NYPD Auxiliary vest, heads back to his own apartment after cleari

Joel Huerta, wearing his brother’s NYPD Auxiliary vest, heads back to his own apartment after clearing the local florist’s walk; there, he will continue to clear a path in what has become one of New York City’s more snow-filled winters. Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.

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Snow, Snowy Owls, and Lack of Snow: What’s Ruining Our Cities This Week

Snow, Snowy Owls, and Lack of Snow: What's Ruining Our Cities This Week

It’s been an especially cold and dreary winter week for just about everyone—except the host city for the Winter Olympics. It’s a rather chilly peek at what’s Ruining Our Cities.

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Shoveling Snow Is Way, Way Harder In Antarctica

I hear you complaining about shoveling your walk for the umpteenth time this season because mother nature decided to dump on you again. But you’ll quit your whining after you see this video of teams clearing winter snow at the Princess Elisabeth research station in Antarctica.

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It’s Not the Snow, It’s Not the Politics: Blame the Car-Dependent City

It's Not the Snow, It's Not the Politics: Blame the Car-Dependent City

There’s been plenty written about why the South suffered so much from this week’s surprise snowstorm. But there’s really only one thing to blame: those cold lumps of steel that are still abandoned on the side of the highway. What happened in Atlanta could happen any time, any place where people rely so heavily on cars.

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How Much Snow It Takes to Cancel School Across the US

How Much Snow It Takes to Cancel School Across the US

There’s been quite a bit of debate recently about the Southern states’ inability to handle what (at least to the North) might barely even qualify as a light dusting. Now, Reddit user atrubetskoy has taken the opportunity to create a fantastic map detailing just how much snow it typically takes to keep kids home.

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