Tag Archives: weather

Feeling salty?

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Salt

Even if you aren’t, the roads are. Sidewalks, too.

You’ve likely noticed dozens of trucks spreading salt over the last 24 hours or so, but did you ever wonder why? In a way, it’s a two-pronged assault on icy conditions. The main reason to spread salt over potentially icy areas is because the salt lowers the freezing point of water, making it more difficult for icy patches to form. There’s also a secondary benefit: salt can provide a little traction in slick spots.

Could you take a salt shaker outside and do the same thing? Sure, you could … but it would be very time-consuming and, once some moisture hit that shaker, rather frustrating. The salt used on roads, sidewalks & walkways is treated with a number of chemical additives to keep it from caking.

Before the days of motor vehicles, there was no need to clear roads since most travel required horse-drawn sleds; in fact, a snow cover made for a more comfortable and smooth ride than the usual dirt roads. By the 1920′s, however, both plows and gritting vehicles (early salt trucks) came into widespread use with the popularization of the motor vehicle.

Looking to provide a little traction of your own? Check out or Machinery & Tools section for salt spreaders.

Snow Days

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Snow Day

Before the days of the internet, we remember listening to local radio on snowy mornings to find out about school cancellations and delays. You really had to time it well, though, because the names of the schools were read in alphabetical order, and if you happened to tune in just past your school’s spot in the ABC’s, you’d need to keep listening until the alphabet ran full circle to that particular letter. To this day, whenever we hear certain local ad jingles, it takes us right back to those snowy winter mornings and that special anticipation that if we were lucky, we just might get an unexpected day off from school.

Perhaps that’s why we’re big fans of local radio. We’re proud to bring you a brand new show every Saturday morning, and each time we show up at the Times Building in downtown Scranton to take over the airwaves, we feel like we’re part of something really special. If you haven’t yet tuned in, join us this Saturday at 9 AM. You can find us on the dial at 96.1 & 100.1FM or at 630 & 1240AM. If you miss the broadcast, listen online to the podcast of the show. We also post links to each week’s podcast on Facebook, Twitter & Google+.

Forward, March!

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March

We’re hoping that it comes in like a lion! There, we said it. We’re willing to handle that roar as long as March goes out like a lamb.

All told, it’s a pretty exciting month:  St. Patrick’s Day, March Madness, and – most excitingly – our flooring giveaway. We’ve teamed up with Giant Floor to give away $2000 in brand new floors, and we’ll be drawing the second of three winners on March 28th.

We’ll continue to seize the airwaves every Saturday to bring you Paper Shop Live! so tune in to see what’s for sale, what’s been sold and what kind of on-air giveaways we’ve got. We’ll be kicking off March’s broadcasts with the last of our Snö Mountain lift ticket giveaways this Saturday, so tune in and win! You can catch us on NEPA’s ESPN radio network: 96.1 & 100.1FM or 630 & 1240AM

Off to see the blizzard?

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snowflake

We don’t know about you, but we’re getting ready to batten down the hatches for a storm that may turn out to be quite a blizzard. Even if it isn’t a full-blown nor’easter, we’re still in store for a little of the white stuff within the next 48 hours. It goes without saying, we suppose, that we’re thinking snow. Because we love strange little details, we wanted to dig up some cool (see what we did there?) snow facts:

  • The largest recorded snowflake was 15″ across and 8″ thick – wow!
  • The patent for the first snow shovel (one that both scooped & scraped) was granted in 1889 to Lydia Fairweather
  • Chionophobia is the fear of snow
  • Snowflakes fall at 5.5 feet per second
  • The Victorian Era was a period with serious air pollution. Because of this, the snow that fell was often dark gray
  • The U.S. averages about 105 snowstorms each winter

Heating Up

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radiator

We don’t need to remind you how cold it is out there. And we probably don’t need to remind you that we’ve got a wide variety of heaters to make you more comfortable. Our Heating & Plumbing category’s got fireplaces, wood burning stoves, water heaters & pellet stoves. If you’re shopping around for a heating source, however, it’s important to mind your BTUs.

You’ll often see a BTU number in ads for heaters and air conditioners. BTU stands for British Thermal Unit, and it’s a standardized measurement of heat. In the case of heating units, it indicates the amount of energy needed to heat one pound of water 1° Farenheit. Because it’s a standard measurement, it’s a great way to compare the capabilities of various heating systems.

BTUs are also used to measure the amount of heat generated by different fuels. For example, propane is approximately 15,000 BTUs per pound, while charcoal is just about 9000 and wood is around 7000. If you happen to be of a scientific bent, you can figure out exactly how much fuel you’d need to, say, grill a hamburger.

Travel & Vacation

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Beach

Go west, young man (or woman)! Or go south. Perhaps to Florida. Orlando! Atlantic City, maybe? Or a cozy weekend at a Poconos resort. All very tempting. And very possible!

Whether it’s the flu, the snow or the cold weather that gets you down, there’s hardly a better time of the year to get away from it all. When you check out our Travel & Vacation category, you’ll find everything from timeshares to beach rentals.  Whether you’d like to purchase a timeshare in Colonial Williamsburg or you’re more interested in renting a Florida beach house for a week, we’ve got you covered!

Snow Report!

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snowflake

Ah. Winter in NE PA.

If you’re a fan of the white stuff, this seems to be your year! Even if you’re not, you can always embrace the unavoidable and check out some winter sports. Maybe it’s time to learn how to cross-country ski. Or perhaps resolve that 2013′s the year that you finally tackle snowboarding. After all, we’re surrounded by some of the most picturesque and exciting ski resorts in the Northeast – put ‘em to use! (Check out what’s up in the Poconos for Learn to Ski & Snowboard Month or even learn to snowshoe for free)

We offer a surprising amount of winter sports gear in our pages and on our website. From winter sports gloves to cheap skis for beginners, snowboards to ski pants, we’ll get you all set. Check out our Sports Equipment category (and even the Under $25 category) and see what’s around to make Old Man Winter just a little less disagreeable.

Snowstorm? Accumulation? Snow problem!

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snowflake

For most of the folks in our distribution area it was a white Christmas. And as nice as that can be, it’s looking like Monday’s snow was just a taste of things to come.

If you’re like us, you’re a frequent checker of the forecast and road conditions. If you’re a person who likes to be prepared, you’ve probably already got the snow tires on the car and the snow blower at the ready! And if you happen to be among the less-prepared out there, no worries: we’ve got snowplows for sale, snow tires, snow chains for tires and all types of snow equipment.

The nice thing about buying from Paper Shop is that it’s local people selling, so there’s a good chance that you’ll see a Meyer plow or a set of Blizzak snow tires, make a call and very possibly be the owner of said plow or tires within mere hours. If you want to make it really easy, just type in “snow” on thepapershop.com and see for yourself what we’ve got to offer.