Full Idea
Some words that seem to be semantically non-count can take syntactically plural forms: 'snows', 'sands', 'waters' and the like.
Gist of Idea
Some apparent non-count words can take plural forms, such as 'snows' or 'waters'
Source
Henry Laycock (Words without Objects [2006], Intro 4 n24)
Book Reference
Laycock,Henry: 'Words without Objects' [OUP 2006], p.12
A Reaction
This seems to involve parcels of the stuff. The 'snows of yesteryear' occur at different times. 'Taking the waters' probably involves occasions. The 'Arabian sands' presumably occur in different areas. Semantics won't fix what is countable.
Related Idea
Idea 17694 Some non-count nouns can be used for counting, as in 'several wines' or 'fewer cheeses' [Laycock]