Vehicles Emerge In Somerville, Massachusetts After Massive Piles Of Snow Dumped On Them In Winter Storms

A junked car emerges from an enormous snow pile melting
this month in Somerville, Massachusetts. The cars were
buried intentionally because they were junk and city
officials didn't have tine to move them when two
enormous snowstorms covered the city this winter, 

 Back in those horrible snowy days in January and February, some cities, especially in hard hit southeast New England, hauled the snow off of clogged streets and piled it up into immense piles in empty lots and back alleys until it all melted in the spring. 

About two weeks ago, something odd began emerging from the massive snow pile in Somerville, Massachusetts.

A vehicle. Actually vehicles. Plural. Six of 'em. 

The first vehicle anyone notices was an old Ford Escape, which clearly did not escape the clutches of this past winter. It turns out the car belongs to the city of Somerville Department of Public Works.Did it belong to someone who's been looking for their vehicle since a blizzard struck last February. 

Actually no. Somerville buried the cars. On purpose.   

According to CBS Boston/WBZ:

"The Somerville Department of Public Works says these cars are inoperable and awaiting disposal. With back to back major snowstorms this year, they didn't want to divert storm resources to move the cars. With dwindling places to put snow, burying them was their best choice."

Somerville is one of the most densely populated cities in New England, so there were very few places to put the feet of snow that fell on the city this past winter. The relatively large lot comprising four acres at 90 Washington Street with the junked municipal cars was the most logical places to put the snow. 

The weight of the snow took their toll on the cars, it seems. Meteorologists at CBS Boston estimated there might have been 50,000 to 60,000 pounds of snow and ice on top of the cars

News video of the Ford Escape that had been most exposed from the melting snow showed. Its tires were flat and it appeared the axles might have broken under the weight. The rear window is broken out and the entire body of the vehicle appears somewhat flattened. 

Even though the vehicles were buried on purpose, the jokes about the situation raced through social media. 

"Hey boss, I found that car we've been missing for  4 months," someone deadpanned on Reddit. 

A photo on the WBUR website of a person peering inside a still-half buried vehicle had a caption that read, "Oh, that's where left my wallet."

About a week ago, the city used equipment to pull some of the cars out and break apart sections  of the snow pile, which might hasten its melt a little. But snow piles as big as the one in Somerville can stick around until June.

There might not be any more snow dumps or vehicles hidden under the snow at that lot in Somerville. The city is planning to sell the property for redevelopment, WBUR reports.