What a great series of shots depicting a (minor) snow chaos.

Impenetrable mess indeed.

On the southern coast of Finland, a phenomenon called the Snow Machine of St. Petersburg may occur usually in early winter when the Gulf of Finland hasn't frozen over yet. Plenty of moisture evaporates from that body of water. When it happens to wind from the east-southeast, the wind is usually frigid at that time of the year. It pushes the moisture towards the south coast of Finland while causing it to turn into snow. It's like the lake effect in the Great Lakes area in North America.

That's when the streets of Helsinki turn into what your photos are an excellent depiction of. Bucket loaders and trucks will work around the clock to remove snow from the streets to keep them from being blocked. There will be plenty of cars buried under a thick blanket of snow with the situation made worse by snow plows having thrown a good measure of snow from the street.