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Jonas|lighting|Long Island|snow|Winter Storm Jonas

Outdoor Lighting And The Snow

There is a certain beauty to snow. Just look outside after a fresh snowfall blankets the world around you. For that one, brief moment you may be at peace, that is until you realize you have to get out and shovel it or drive in it. So, take a moment to let that image sink in and for some of that ambiance your landscape lighting system can help with that. Grab some hot chocolate and just watch it come down for a few moments.

Light And Snow

Light can make snow look different. It can light up the snow to give the world a different look, a beauty that is unique to winter time. That look can come from down lighting pointing light down at the snow or from ground level lighting that illuminates the snow at that level. For even deeper snow that light may be underneath the snow creating an eerie glow. 

Just take a moment to look at it the next time it snows. If you have a landscape lighting system you will see what we mean. If you don’t, you’ll have to use your imagination. Maybe you can go place some flashlights outside before it snows to get the same effect. Then call Resort Lighting.

For many people they also have lighting fixtures along some of their walkways. With deep snow this can help you find where the path is and some of these can even help to melt the snow. Every little bit helps with that.

Long Island Gets Snow

You know that Long Island gets snow. We get around 32 inches of snow every year. Some days it may not be much, other times it can be. We’ve seen some pretty big snowfalls in recent years too, with nearly two feet during Winter Storm Jonas in 2016! You never know what you will get.

Can Your Lights Melt Snow?

Many modern light fixtures use LED lights and if you touch it the fixture will feel fairly cool to the touch. That does not mean that it is cool. LED lights can still generate a lot of heat but most of that heat is absorbed by the heat sink installed in the unit that takes the heat away from the unit and transfers it to the housing. Those lights can get hot enough to melt that snow.

But that melt may not come quickly. If snow falls during the day when the lights are turned off the lights will not be hot and therefore snow will fall overtop of it like it will everything else. It may take some time for the lights to melt the snow over these lights, maybe several days. Yeah, these lights don’t get all that hot. 

It also matters what kind of LED bulb is used. Cheaper LED bulbs don’t produce as much light and therefore don’t produce as much heat. Higher quality bulbs, like those installed by Resort Lighting, will generate more heat and give the lights a better chance of melting snow. For everyone that uses older bulbs, they can produce a great deal of heat and melt that snow. This might be the only reason that older bulbs like halogen bulbs are better than LED.

You Will Still Need To Clear Your Snow

With all of that being said, you will still need to clear your snow. Your lighting system will not do enough for you in that regard. That means your snow blower or your shovel will still see use this winter. Sorry. At least when you’re done you can go back to staring at the fallen snow with your landscape lighting system as you sip some hot chocolate or another hot beverage. That could be quite peaceful…

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