Wet snow is heavy, and shoveling it can cause injury. So the city recently relaxed the deadline to clear snow from sidewalks, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said in her Thursday email update to the community.

Usually, residents and business owners have 24 hours after a storm to clear snow off of sidewalks in front of their homes and businesses. Failure to shovel sidewalks typically results in a warning for a first offense, followed by fines for subsequent violations.

But when temperatures fluctuate and a storm results in wet, heavy snow and slippery ice, shoveling requires a lot more effort.

“Our most recent storm over the weekend of Feb.16 was just that type of storm,” Fuller wrote. “That storm first brought snow, then an icy mix of sleet and rain, followed by freezing temperatures which created a thick layer of ice—up to 3 or more inches—across Newton.”

By the time many were able to shovel, the snow had mixed with sleet and formed a very thick layer of solid ice. And ice melt was sold out in many stores.

“Under these difficult circumstances, we made the decision to extend the shoveling deadline,” Fuller continued. “We knew many of us wouldn’t be able to clear the ice until the weather warmed up enough for the ice to soften or melt. This decision certainly made it challenging for pedestrians who faced a lot of slippery, icy and dangerous patches along our sidewalks.”

So, for future storms, the DPW may extend the deadline again to make shoveling a little bit safer.

“Sometimes even with the best intentions, the New England weather gets the best of us,” she wrote.