In the Media: Cold Coverage Insights from Associate Professor Sinéad Farrell
Following a historic snowstorm that hit the region, several media outlets turned to Farrell to explain the lingering “snowcrete." Here are the stories published by The Baltimore Banner and ABC's WMAR-2 News.
ABC's WMAR-2 News: "The Snow Has Mostly Melted but Experts Say This 'Man-Made Glacier' Could Take Months"
BALTIMORE — An urban mountain of icy snow looks more like a demolition site at the Old Town Mall parking lot.
Its slopes, covered in dirt and debris, tower over street lights.
It's become one of three dumping grounds for stubborn snow over the last month, alongside Pimlico Racetrack grounds and M&T Bank Stadium.
It may not be pretty to look at, but it's certainly caught the attention of passersby and scientists like Sinéad Louise Farrell, an associate professor at the University of Maryland.
"This is piquing the interest of glaciologists all over the world," she said. "We've been talking about this huge man-made glacier in the middle of downtown Baltimore."
Farrell studies sea ice within the geographical sciences department, and almost never gets the opportunity to see her area of study in her own backyard.
The Baltimore Banner: “You’ll Probably Be Looking at Ugly Mounds of Snow at Least Until March”
A large pile of snow partially blocks Eager Street near downtown Baltimore on Friday. (Ariel Zambelich/The Banner)
Old Town Mall is one of three dumping grounds for stubborn snow removed from city limits
The honeymoon between Maryland and snow is over.
For the first day or so, the snow delighted us. Then, the ice took hold. People battled for parking spaces, and schools closed across the region as temperatures plunged well below freezing.
It’s been more than two weeks since a winter storm dropped around a foot of snow on parts of Maryland. The aftermath earned its own tag on Baltimore’s subreddit, “snowtastrophe,” as people vented about the ice left behind by overwhelmed shovelers and plows.
Despite cleanup efforts, snow, ice and frozen dirt remain piled high at many intersections, along sidewalks and in parking lots.
Now, many of us are wondering: When will the snow and ice go away?
That’s the ”million-dollar question,“ said Sinéad Louise Farrell, a glaciologist and professor at the University of Maryland.
Full story in The Baltimore Banner
Published on Mon, 02/16/2026 - 10:11