Gutter ice UPDATE

The 4-degree Celsius heat wave we're currently experiencing has been a tremendous relief from the freezing temperatures last week, but it's also brought a whole new type of treacherousness with it. As the gutters melt, they spill out into the sidewalks creating huge icy/slushy wastelands which make the sidewalks impassable. Small lakes form at the curb and pedestrians usually resort to walking down the street alongside cars.

In addition, snow and ice removal from building tops is still ongoing and some stretches of sidewalk are uneven dunes of ice bricks. According to my land lady, 3 people have been killed already from falling ice. Crazy. And the SP Times is reporting that a local student died on Sunday after slipping off a snow-covered roof.

Meanwhile at the University the defrost has brought a distinct musty smell to the computer lab and the ceiling is currently dripping onto the wall lamp next to me, leaving a moist patch on the faux-parquet floor.