During winter season, snow fell and accumulated by the sidewalks. As a consequence of winds, more snow was blown atop the already accumulated snow. This resulted in a snow pile approximately one meter high. The blown snow carried dust particles from the ground atop the heap of snow. Smoke particles and wastes from the vehicles also accumulated in the snow pile resulting in the formation of “snirt” – dirty snow. Furthermore, snowfall on March 12, 2014 led to additional accumulation of snow on top of the snirt. The impact of this is that the latest snow is melting exposing the snirt. The dirt accumulated from the snirt increases the melting rate. This is because it absorbs more sunlight rays, which increases the temperature, thus increasing the melting rate. When the snirt has about 1-3cm of dirt cover, however, the melting rate decreases because the dirt forms an insulation layer on the snow.