Originally Posted by
Gonzo
WHBM, re Russia, it's different snow. Seriously. Dry, compacted snow is nothing like the usual UK slushy snow. From my understanding, flight crews are far happier to operate from runways contaminated by dry, compacted snow than slush.
Gonzo, these are some good points, but the thing about snow elsewhere being dry/powdery stuff is not altogether correct. Certainly it might be true today, when the temperatures in St Petersburg are around -20C with low humidity, but in the winter shoulders, in November and March, you get the same around-zero temperatures and snow conditions as here today.