Todd Gross Makes Weather

After losing the WHDH Chief Meteorologist seat to Pete Bouchard just over a year ago, Todd Gross bounced off to the internets rather quickly. Todd has continued to update his weather blog, but has quietly (for those of us inside 128) has also taken up residence at the Western Mass NBC affiliate WWLP out of Springfield. He reminds us today that it has been 29 years to the day since the blizzard of '78. So where's the snow this year? There's been minimal accumulation this year. So little it is hard to believe there's been any. Don't worry, though. The WWLP "uncut" section you can watch Todd explain how to make your own snow machine perfect for household use - as long as you take appropriate safety precautions.

If the temperature is less than 28° (it certainly is) it's a simple process to make your own snow. The hard part is fashioning your "snow gun" from plumbing parts. We've simplified the directions here, but you can find the full set of instructions on Todd's home grown snow page.
~ Set snow gun on tripod – aim appropriately
~ Connect one end of a garden hose to the snow gun, the other to the water spigot
~ Connect the air hose to the snow gun with the quick connector and then connect it to the compressor.
~ Turn water on at the spigot – keep the valve closed in the snow gun until the air pressure is on..
~ Turn on your compressor and let it run until the meter reads 30-40 psi. Slowly begin opening your air ball-valve so that you maintain fairly steady pressure in your air tank.
~ Slowly add water to the air until you get a heavy mix.

Depending on the size of your compressor, you should be able to make between 1/4" and 1" of snow per hour in roughly an 8' x 14' area.

Image courtesy of Todd's home grown snow gallery. Video from WWLP