New York City uses industrial ‘hot tub’ snow melters to clear over a foot of snow, with machines processing up to 120 tons per hour to reopen roads.
NEW YORK: The city is deploying industrial-scale snow “hot tubs” to clear remnants of a historic winter storm that dumped over a foot of snow.
With temperatures staying below freezing, natural melting is impeded, leaving piled snow hazardous for pedestrians and drivers.
“The problem there is that if we don’t melt it, then it’ll sit there for a while,” said Javier Logan of New York’s sanitation department.
The giant melters can process between 60 and 120 tons of snow per hour.
Trucks dump excavated snow into the water-filled machines, which are heated to only 38F (3C).
The resulting steam gives them a jacuzzi-like appearance before the filtered water is drained away.
More than 2,500 city workers are mobilised for the around-the-clock clearance operation.
“Our priority right now is to get the bus roads open, because we want to make sure that people can get on and off the buses and get to work or school as needed,” Logan said.
The snow melters, common in other North American cities and airports, haven’t been used on this scale in New York since 2021.
