We're having a record snow winter, had to clear the roof 4 times this year (usually twice), and it's now reaching the roof, can't see a thing outside … gotta wait until it melts! Snow is water and ice and when it rains, it acts as a sponge for the water, creating tremendous weight on the roof, many homes and business see their roofs collapsing due to the extreme weight … thus why we have to clear the roofs a few times each year.
There's quite an industry developing as a result. Young unemployed guys make the rounds to remove snow from people's roofs. One like this one is around $100 - $150 to do, takes a couple guys about 1 1/2 hours to do … if they do 4-6 houses in a day … it adds to a pretty decent pay, but a helluva job to earn it, usually on a bitter cold day at minus 20 Celsius plus the wind-chill factor (the wind makes the temp even colder).