How ‘Snowtorious B.I.G.’ uses M&T Bank Stadium steam heat to melt Baltimore’s hauled-in snow piles

A stadium parking lot becomes a snow disposal site

M&T Bank Stadium’s surrounding lots have repeatedly been used as a central staging area for Baltimore’s snow removal operations, with dump trucks delivering collected snow from city streets to form towering piles that can reach heights visible across South Baltimore. The approach concentrates snow in a controlled location where heavy equipment can manage both storage and processing.

The strategy gained particular attention during major snow events when the city’s street clearing shifted from plowing and pushing snow aside to physically hauling it away. That hauling step is typically triggered by narrowed travel lanes, blocked intersections, impaired drainage, and the need to reopen curbside access in dense neighborhoods.

The improvised melter: a Dumpster tied into the steam system

Nicknamed “Snowtorious B.I.G.,” an improvised snow-melting setup at the stadium has been described as a Dumpster configured to receive steam heat from the venue’s heating infrastructure. The system functions as a localized “snow soup” operation: snow is loaded into the container, heat is applied, and the snow converts to water that can be managed through existing drainage pathways and on-site controls.

In earlier documented operations at the stadium, the steam-heated Dumpster configuration was reported to melt roughly 15 tons of snow per hour when running for multiple hours per day, offering a steady—if smaller—processing option alongside larger industrial melters.

Industrial melters and high-volume removal

During large-scale cleanups, stadium-area snow handling has also included high-capacity melting equipment capable of processing far more than the Dumpster-based system. In past deployments around the stadium complex, industrial melters have been described as handling on the order of 150 tons per hour, using high-output burners to accelerate melting and reduce the footprint of long-lasting piles.

Baltimore’s snow operations have also used more than one disposal site, including other large open areas suitable for temporary storage and processing. These split-site approaches are intended to reduce traffic bottlenecks at any single dumping location and to shorten hauling distances from different parts of the city.

Why melt at all? A logistics and timeline calculation

Melting is only one part of the overall workflow. Even when large melters are available, crews still need loader equipment to feed them, space to stage trucks safely, and drainage controls to manage runoff. The alternative—simply piling snow to melt naturally—can take weeks, with freeze-thaw cycles extending hazardous conditions and limiting parking and pedestrian access.

For the stadium complex, the timeline pressure can be practical: parking lots serve multiple events and seasonal uses. A faster reduction of piles can help restore normal operations, reopen lanes around the facility, and reduce refreezing that can occur when compacted snow lingers.

• Collection: snow is plowed, then loaded into trucks from constrained streets.

• Transport: loads are hauled to large staging sites such as stadium lots.

• Processing: snow is either stored in piles or fed into melters, including the steam-heated “Snowtorious B.I.G.”

• Site restoration: piles are reduced, equipment demobilizes, and surfaces are cleared of refreezing hazards.

At M&T Bank Stadium, the snow operation has combined hauling, heavy-equipment pile management, and on-site melting—ranging from the steam-heated “Snowtorious B.I.G.” to higher-capacity industrial systems—depending on storm scale and available resources.