Sierra cement
n.— «The only vehicles allowed were gravel trucks and graders working to remove what is known as “Sierra cement,” the type of thick, clumpy snow that can play havoc with tire treads and drivers’ nerves.» —“Many Without Power Amid California Storm” by Jesse McKinley in San Francisco, California New York Times Jan. 6, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Sure, there’s winter, spring, summer, and fall. But the seasons in between have even more poetic names. In Alaska, greenup describes a sudden, dramatic burst of green after a long, dark winter. And there are many, many terms for a cold snap...
Diamond dust, tapioca snow, and sugar icebergs — a 1955 glossary of arctic and subarctic terms describes the environment in ways that sound poetic. And a mom says her son is dating someone who’s non-binary. She supports their relationship, but...