Brrrrr...

[schmenke]

Sorry, I can't be bothered to dig up the previous weather-thread...

I could use some global warming right about now...

-30 deg. C. here this morning. My snot froze while waiting for the bus :mark:

[Eki]

Magpies. Bring them on!

[Easy Drifter]

What was that that good ol' Ralphie said about us Easteners and freezing in the dark? +10 this morning here on Georgian Bay.
OOOOOPS! Now -5 and yet another snowsquall warning. Still a heck of a lot warmer than the prairies.

PS. My parents and Grandparents were Westeners. So just teasing.

Sorry, I can't be bothered to dig up the previous weather-thread...

I could use some global warming right about now...

-30 deg. C. here this morning. My snot froze while waiting for the bus :mark:

It's a balmy +23 deg C here today. Snot is running freely. :)

[Easy Drifter]

Not only is it super cold but 2 of the 3 "Canada's Worst Drivers" are from southern Alberta! :eek:

[raikk]

It actually snowed here in Southern Vancouver ..pretty cold too..

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Sorry, I can't be bothered to dig up the previous weather-thread...

I could use some global warming right about now...

-30 deg. C. here this morning. My snot froze while waiting for the bus :mark:

Well if is wasn't for global warming it would be -30.5 deg.C. ;)

[janneppi]

I would't mind -30C for a few days, it's -2C for the next few days, until +3 and rain on Friday, No real snow on the ground either. :(

[Easy Drifter]

It is -10 and has been snowing all morning, but not too hard.The 2 day thaw did in the few snowmobile trails that were open. The ice is not safe anywhere so any trail that crossed ponds, lakes or streams could not open. Too much snow fell before the ground froze as well. It is going to be tough for the clubs to groom the trails to make them safe.
The ski resorts are all going full blast as they had enough base to withstand the thaw and were all making snow by last night again.

[schmenke]

It's a balmy -10 deg. C here today with more snow :s
This city has no concept of snow clearing so getting around is slow as molasses :mark:
Have a boo... :s
http://65.104.36.247/default.asp?display=cams&area=calgary&TextOnly=

[Hazell B]

The other morning at 6am one my dogs, wrapped in a jumper and his biggest greyhound coat, refused to leave the back door to go out.
He just stood there shivering until we picked him up and carried him to the car.

UIt wasn't even freezing :mark:

[donKey jote]

around 0° here, or as they would say in Germany: "neither warm nor cold" :dozey:

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

[Mark in Oshawa]

Schmenke....it has been loopy here but snowing finally again in Oshawa. That said I was living up north till a month ago, and not 25 minutes north of here there was a foot plus of snow on the ground before the warm snap. Now the snow is back and it may be another record year. 2 years ago, global warming was to blame for the Great Lakes falling water levels. After last winter and this one...they may be too high. Has it occured to anyone we really have no clue what the climate will be like a decade from now?

[Easy Drifter]

Mark: By Nov. Georgian Bay was as low as ever. It started off ok in the spring. Back down despite a cold wet summer.
The studies done by non Govt. types put most of the blame on the last dredging of the ship channel near Sarnia/Port Huron. Apparently they went below the clay bottom into a softer soil and the flow is dredging the channel ever deeper thereby increasing the outflow. There were supposed to be concrete quoins put in to stop this but it was never done.
This year, for the first time, it really affected Lake Superior as well and many of the larger freighters could not traverse the St. Mary's River out of Superior with full loads.
Naturally all the Govt. studies on both sides of the border are saying no and that it is a natural cycle and/or global warming.
Several other independent studies, done by people with proper credentials, say that the low water cycle is only partially responsible and flow studies they conducted in the outflow from Lake Huron show far higher flow levels than previously. Lakes St Clair, Erie and Ontario have maintained or increased water levels.
I expect that unless the quoins are put in, now at huge expense, things will get worse.
It affecting recreational boating as many Marinas have to dredge to accept larger boats. That is expensive and in many cases hard to get approval from both MNR and Oceans and Fisheries Canada. The US Marinas probably have as many restrictions.
Also affected are the lake freighters and ocean going freighters. Not only is there the problem with the St. Mary's River (ships often have to wait for the wind to be in the right direction to increase depth) several ports are becoming too shallow for the bigger ships.
One passenger cruise line cancelled its planned Great Lakes Cruises last year because of low water in many of their planned ports of call.
Ninety per cent of the snow we have had in the upper lakes basin (especially Lake Huron and Georgian Bay) this year has been lake effect snow which is only water removed from the Lakes so does not add to the level overall.
It is a major problem with huge economic ramifications which all upper levels of Govt. are trying to ignore. The munincipalities are, in many cases, concerned but are being ignored by upper levels of Govt. This seems to apply on both sides of the border.
Add to this some US States want to take more water from the Lakes and although they are supposed to return the same amt. I doubt that will happen. There are constant stories (unsubstanciated) that Chicago takes far more water than is allowed for the ship canal that eventually feeds into the Mississsipi.
Spending the money on the quoins now would certainly be an infastructure job that the Govts. are blathering about but it is not on any Govt. radar scope.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Drifter...interesting. I read in the local paper how Lake Ontario is up and I figured it would be more or less constant for all the lakes. Also we had record snow up in Coboconk (for those non Ontario people...lets just say it is a SMALL village and leave it at that) which is saying something. I guess it was Georgian Bay lake effect we got then? No matter...I remember seeing the dredges at Sarnia and if they screwed up the ecosystem by that then that is really sad. That said...change is part of nature, and maybe we as man are just messing with that process...sometimes not for the better.

[schmenke]

Mark, ED, if you want to see real tangible evidence of global warming, take a trip to see the glaciers in the Columbia ice fields near Jasper, then do the same trip a year later :s


-20 deg. C here today with more snow.

I wanna move to Tahiti! :bigcry:

[Mark in Oshawa]

Mark, ED, if you want to see real tangible evidence of global warming, take a trip to see the glaciers in the Columbia ice fields near Jasper, then do the same trip a year later :s


-20 deg. C here today with more snow.

I wanna move to Tahiti! :bigcry:

One of course can note Schmenke we have no idea where those same icefields were in the year 1000 or 2000 BC. We can guess for sure. The earth is getting warmer...but that could change with 2 volcanic events on the magnitude of Krakatoa. Not to mention all the crap the Soft coal the Chinese are burning puts into the air reducing the planet's ability to absorb solar radiation.

I do know you guys in Calgary are soft tho..lol...-20 will be my fate I am sure at some point this winter. So far....A pretty average Ontario winter is on the mental radar.

[Easy Drifter]

Shmenke: I have seen the melt although not for several years. We used to take the Parkway when travelling between Westwood and Edmonton and usually stopped. Last time I was west I was amazed at the retreat.
We understand so little of climate and natural change. It was recently discovered that at one time there were several huge waterfalls from Lake Huron into Georgian Bay and water flowed from there into the Ottawa Valley on into the St. Lawrence. Thousands of years ago.
Mark: Last year most of the snow was not Lake effect but proper storms. So far this year mostly Lake effect. The predicted proper storm for last night with 5 to 10 cm produced maybe 2 up here. The Lake Superior basin has had a few real storms so that may help.
I go through Coboconk when visiting an old racing friend (and car builder) in Haliburton. He designed and built the light system used at the ice races in Minden. An electronics whiz.
Used to be a good rest. just east of 35 in Coboconk but I see it has changed it's name and probably ownership.

[Mark in Oshawa]

The global warming tho isn't always a local thing that is for sure. You guys talk of the ice fields going into retreat and yet I know the last 3 years we haven't had quite as hot a summer down here and I know we are seeing a lot more snow at times. Really is hard to pin down in a micro situation where climate is going if you have no real knowledge of the big picture.

My only real complaint I have with global warming theories and "climate Change" ( I note how that is the buzz word now the environazi's are not sure on where the warming is) is that people it assume it is because of mankind. There was global warming and cooling on a much more servere basis than what we are seeing now in the course of human history and none of that could be put down to the creation of industry and the burning of gasoline...

[Daniel]

My only real complaint I have with global warming theories and "climate Change" ( I note how that is the buzz word now the environazi's are not sure on where the warming is) is that people it assume it is because of mankind. There was global warming and cooling on a much more servere basis than what we are seeing now in the course of human history and none of that could be put down to the creation of industry and the burning of gasoline...

My problem with global warming theories is that they tell you why stuff happened after it happens and not before.......

[ShiftingGears]

Well it was 35 degrees here a few days ago. Good weather.

[schmenke]

-22 deg.C with more snow today. I'm begining to sound like a broken record :(

I'm thinking of moving the family somewhere warm... perhaps Finland :p :

[Easy Drifter]

Currently about 0 here but light snow. Almost every day a little and 3 storms predicted over next 5 days. The first is not supposed to do much this far north but skirt the lower lakes. Therefore I expect we will really get nailed.
The last storm called for 10 to 15 cm here and we got less tha 2. :D

[veeten]

Oh look, its snowing in Vegas... :D

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28277087?GT1=43001 :cool:

[Mark in Oshawa]

Currently about 0 here but light snow. Almost every day a little and 3 storms predicted over next 5 days. The first is not supposed to do much this far north but skirt the lower lakes. Therefore I expect we will really get nailed.
The last storm called for 10 to 15 cm here and we got less tha 2. :D

Down here in the Shwa we got pounded pretty good yesterday (Dec. 19). I was having flashbacks of living in Midland in the snowbelt where you are Drifter. Good luck with the blizzards but from the weather maps I saw, it will be us guys down close to Lake Ontario who will get it worse for a change. Warm air from the Gulf is hitting Schmenke's Alberta Clipper and that is what is causing all of this.

The worst part is, I have to drive to Wisconsin either really late tonight or early tomorrow to be in Wisconsin Rapids for Monday AM. This will be a turd sandwich because you know I wont make it across the Great Lakes Basin without hitting snow at some point in the journey. May it not be in Chicago.....

[Easy Drifter]

Good Luck Mark. You are going to need it. Chicago in the snow, no thanks. Heck London to the border no fun. Do you go through Detroit or up to Sarnia and then through Flint?
I once flew into O'Hare for a FA meeting and was supposed to fly back the same day. Bill Brack and I ended up sharing a room in the hotel at O'Hare. The next day Air Canada (which we were booked on) was not getting in or out of Chicago. Bill was not used to dealing with airlines as he had staff do it. I was. I got us a flight out on American in a couple of hours. Upset AC but I knew the ropes. Heck I had only the clothes I was wearing, no razor, no toothbrush no nothing. AC were no help on providing anything but did pay for the hotel but not our meals.
Judy was in Chicago for a show last week but got out ahead of this storm and heading south.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Drifter...I crossed at Sarnia Port Huron going west. Hit snow on and off and iced up roads in Kalmazoo. Waited 3 hours while they cleared a fatal accident with 5 trucks and 20 cars off the road. Got going with a detour after 3 hours. Got to Wisconsin Rapids the next day around noon. Waited til the late afternoon for a reload. By the way it was -22 C at NOON. Waited 7 hours in a line and a door to get loaded at a paper mill just down the road from where I loaded. Now -24 C Left at Midnight, with snow just behind me as another storm was moving in. Hit Benton Harbour Mi in the snow by 7am. Slept for 5 hours ( don't ask how all this is legal but trust me...it is) and then was caught in the snow and slush of the same storm you dealt with for the length of Michigan right back to Concord. Unloaded at Midnight. Got stuck for 25 minutes just getting out of the loading area at the warehouse I delivered to. Now empty and it is around freezing and a wet crappy slippery snow is falling. Spun out almost 4 times with the trailer still attached on the way back home. Got stuck in my companies lot trying to park the damned trailer. Hit the cozy confines this AM at 4am. No one can talk to me about weather after this day...I had a whole winter season in one 24 hour period......

[Easy Drifter]

I know the big rig routine on travel and sleep. Did a couple of runs to and from Fla. riding shotgun (except it was a .357) during a Teamsters strike.
This weather is nuts. We are above freezing now but not for long.
Meanwhile Judy is sitting beside a lake in Laredo, Texas in the sun. Apparently cool but warm compared to here.

[anthonyvop]

mid 70's and sunny here.
Nothing like Spending Christmas on the beach.

[Easy Drifter]

Heavy rain last afternoon. Still lots of snow on the ground.
It is Christmas morning here and it is ---wait for it ----SNOWING.

Merry Christmas all. :)

[Easy Drifter]

Well we got about 2 inches of snow this morning. Now at 0 with plus 10c forecast for tomorrow with rain. We have so much snow it won't make a huge difference to the ski resorts except who wants to ski in the rain. Same for snowmobiles.
Wierd winter.

[Easy Drifter]

Pouring rain in a thunderstorm!!! Flood warning and watches all across area. +10c. Still lots of snow though. It is going down but the 2 days of warm weather that are forecast won't make a huge dent in it.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Drifter...just a wet sloppy mess to deal with.

[Easy Drifter]

Well my drive is clear for the first time in weeks. The dead end road into my place (I am the 2nd house in) is sheer ice with water on top. At least the Hog River is not near flooding (yet). I am about 100 feet from it. My side of the river is higher than the other bank and it would have to rise about 8 feet to flood the other bank. It is a pretty small river and here only a 100 yards from the Bay.

[Easy Drifter]

After the incredible thaw, flooding and 100K+ winds things are back to normal in Ont. snow belt. Below 0 and snowsqualls.
All snowmobile trails are closed from a combination of the thaw and very dangerous ice conditions on all water bodies. There were over 120,000 without power at one point
Skiing is still ok as there was enough base and they can make snow again.
Terrible news out of BC where 8 snowmobilers from one small town perished in two avalanches. :(

[Daniel]

Yeah woo global warming! Well we had the coldest night locally (-5.7) for 20 years and we're set for another cold night tonight as it's already -4.9 and it's only 9pm.

[Easy Drifter]

No question about it. Global warming. Yup.
We just had the coldest and snowiest Dec. for years.
The high today was -12c
Snow forecast for Jan. 1 and bitter cold next week.

[DonJippo]

Living in denial is a bless :dozey: Global warming is a fact, cause is yet to be determined.

[Easy Drifter]

I was joking to a point. Global warming and cooling has been going on for far longer than we have been on the planet.
The Great Lakes are the result of Artic Glaciers scouring the ground
yet this same area has been tropical.
The question is to what extent is it caused by man and what is natural.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Considering the Earth has had numerous warming and cooling cycles in just the last 100000 years and Man has only been burning serious amounts of Carbon in the last 150 says to me that unless the Dinosaurs, Mastadons and Cro-Magnan men all had SUV's and coal burning power plants, the earth does what the earth does and we the people should spend money figuring out ways to live with the changes rather than putting on the hair shirt driving electric cars and heating our houses with the hot air of precious politicians such as Al Gore...

[Daniel]

Well it's so cold here our dishwasher and washing machine outlet completely froze up and water the washing machine tried to flood our kitchen. Luckily I caught it early and there was only a little water on the floor. not going to be properly above 0 for another week at least :mark:

[Easy Drifter]

Nice warm -22C here this morning. Think I will go for a long stroll in my T shirt. light jeans and sandals. NOT!!! :D
At least it isn't snowing----yet.

[jens]

Nah, it's already early January and still no snow around here... We had a few snowstorms in November, but that has been about it.

[janneppi]

-14C Tonight.
Finally some real temperatures instead of the Fall/winter crap like the last two Christmas times.

It was nice to cool off in the balcony after sauna. Clear sky, nothing blocking stars but steam exaust fumes from a nearby heat plant and a f-18 flying past few kilometers away.

Did get a bit chilly after few minutes though. :)

[Easy Drifter]

Well after a couple of days of no snow it is coming down hard and fast.
Despite my earlier comments about the Hog River we came close to it flooding. Got within a foot of going over the banks because of an ice jam. There is now a large dock out in the Bay. Ice took it out.
The Coldwater River in nearby Coldwater did flood forcing the evacuation of a retirement home over a bridge partially under water! The only way out. Several other rivers did flood including the Nottawasaga which flows into Georgian Bay at the famous Wasaga Beach, the longest freshwater beach in the world. About 20 miles from here, by crow. 40 by road.

[Hazell B]

I love this cold, dry weather :up:

Been building a drystone wall and laying a hedge in it the past month or so, and it doesn't even feel cold when it's actually freezing thanks to the work

This afternoon, at minus 2, I took a friend for his first chainsaw experience (he's gotten himself a log burner but no logs :mark: ) and bless him ... he cooked in all his townie layers of fleece, cotton and high viz coats :laugh:
I turned up in tshirt, sweater and thin waistcoat :p :

[Mark in Oshawa]

Hazell....you are one tough lady...gotta love a woman who operates a chainsaw!!

Drifter, My ex's grandmother used to be in that senior's home in Coldwater. It wouldn't surprise me that if that river went over the banks the whole town would be in trouble. Flat as a table in that little valley there.

Thank god things went back to freezing. My Mom-in-law's house at the trailer park (she owns it and it is closed in the winter) lost power on the 27th. We took her back here and I phoned her handyman to go dig out the generator he put in the garage (which is sealed off with a LARGE snowbank from the plough doing the drive) and get it on.

We were worried about the pipes freezing but the thaw helped us there. What I had forgot about was the sump pumps! He went over to check on the pipes and came downstairs to 3 inches of water on the floor. Thank god he got the generator going and sat on it over the next 2 days while the Ontario Power Gen corp took their sweet time getting power back on. Took 3 days and on the 31st they had power again at the house. The stupid part is that it was a tiny block of houses in between Coboconk and Norland and no power for 3 days! Oh well....I heard 165000 houses lost power that day with the wind, so I guess it was a real dog's breakfast.

[Easy Drifter]

My Ex was really good with a chainsaw. After my heart problems I couldn't run it. At the time we had a company called Stumpeaters and she ran the stumper while I did cleanup. Quite often the 'stump' would 2 or 3 feet high so cutting it down to ground level with the saw would save a lot of time grinding plus we usually got the wood if we wanted it. Since we had a wood stove and a fireplace good hardwood was always welcome.
Back in the late 80's Ont. Hydro went on an economy kick. Fired about 85% of their Foresters. Middle and top Mngt. left alone per usual. Now they do not have enough Foresters to keep the trees properly trimmed or removed so far more outages with the linemen putting many more hours of overtime.
We also had a Hydro stumping contract for a year. Then they decided they could do it cheaper. We knew a lot of the Hydro guys. Met 2 Foresters on their way to do a job. Took 2 Foresters. Union rules. They were based in Orillia but the Hydro stumper was in Midland. The job was 1 24 inch Pine stump on Sparrow Lake. They figured it would cost Hydro about $450 to $500
to do the job with their salaries, gas, travel time, etc. We would have charged $35 to $50.
Any how beautiful day -9C. Snowmobiles all over Hog Bay despite warnings from the OPP and Snowmobile Clubs to stay off the ice.
May thin out the Gene pool a bit.
The retirement house used to be either Dr. Hall's house or the MacConichie house. I am not sure which. I used to chum around with Geordie MacConichie and David (Doc) Hall. Was in both many times. They had cottages on Bass Lake where my parents were.

[Hazell B]

Hazell....you are one tough lady...gotta love a woman who operates a chainsaw!!



I'll hold my hand up to not being a user. I hate them in my hands, but can happily instruct all day, alter chain tension and all that stuff. In truth I'm allowed nothing sharper than sponge cake in my sticky paws :p :

[Daniel]

Well finally there is snow forecast for my local area :D The local weather site is predicting a low of 10 degrees tonight but somehow I suspect that's a little off and -5 to -6 is probably a better bet. I just love cold weather :D

[Easy Drifter]

-5 or -6 isn't cold. That is cool. :p :
-20 is getting cold. -30 is cold. -40 is really cold. :vader:
We had freezing rain last night and light snow this morning. I am hoping we get to around the freezing mark before I have to go out. That will make it easier to get the ice off my car windows. Awful hard to see through 1/8 inch of ice on the windshield. :eek:

[yodasarmpit]

-5 or -6 isn't cold. That is cool. :p :
Well it damn well feels cold to me :)
Currently about -2 atm, supposed to drop to -8 overnight.

[Daniel]

-5 or -6 isn't cold. That is cool. :p :
-20 is getting cold. -30 is cold. -40 is really cold. :vader:
We had freezing rain last night and light snow this morning. I am hoping we get to around the freezing mark before I have to go out. That will make it easier to get the ice off my car windows. Awful hard to see through 1/8 inch of ice on the windshield. :eek:
It is for here! It certainly is for someone from Australia :p

[Easy Drifter]

I trust you realize I was teasing. Personally I do not like it when it gets below 60F!
Mind you I have been out on a frozen lake at -40 watching ice races and I have raced snowmobiles. Not any more thanks! Talk about iced tea. It was hot when you bought it a minute ago. :eek:
Last night on the prairies it was predicted to be -50C with the wind chill. At those temps. you can die in minutes if not properly dressed. Bare skin can freeze in less than a minute.
It is important to have a layer to stop the wind. You dress in several layers. Never allow yourself to sweat (take off a layer). If you sweat it can freeze and quickly cause hypothermia.

[donKey jote]

+15 in Madrid at take-off last Friday, -8 in Hannover at landing :s
That's not cold though, only "frisch" :D

[Easy Drifter]

Kind of an interesting cold weather story.
A friend of mine, Barry Makins, who was a pretty good short track driver, and very good snowmobile racer (I have seen some of his trophies) was racing a snowmobile on oval when it was about -25c. He went into a corner flat out in the lead and as he said was completely sideways taking up almost all the track. Then he said this little son of a bleep Gilles (Villeneuve) went around him on the outside.
Barry's dad George was a top driver at the old CNE track in Toronto where Richard Petty made his NASCAR debut. He also built the road racing car nicknamed the 'Bearcage Buick'. This was when the 'Birdcage' Maserati was in its heyday. Massive tubes. :)

[A.F.F.]

It was -17 this morning. Now it started snowing so it's getting warmer. Doesn't really matter hence my car starts like it was under a palm tree :D

[jim mcglinchey]

I love this cold, dry weather :up:

Been building a drystone wall and laying a hedge in it the past month or so, and it doesn't even feel cold when it's actually freezing thanks to the work

This afternoon, at minus 2, I took a friend for his first chainsaw experience (he's gotten himself a log burner but no logs :mark: ) and bless him ... he cooked in all his townie layers of fleece, cotton and high viz coats :laugh:
I turned up in tshirt, sweater and thin waistcoat :p :

I was sawing up a felled Ash on New Years morning but without a chainsaw. I havent mastered the sharpening technique and besides its an electric chainsaw and I couldnt be bothered humping a genset down to the site so I just used a nice new joiners saw and that worked well. Kept me warm too.

[Mark]

It was -17 this morning. Now it started snowing so it's getting warmer. Doesn't really matter hence my car starts like it was under a palm tree :D

Puts the media freaking out about -5C into some perspective.

In any case it was supposed to be -5C here this morning at 7am, but it was actually a balmy 0C.

[Azumanga Davo]

Willing to trade with any of our Euro buddies if they so wish. I can enjoy the cold once again whilst you lot will have to put up with the 37degC that's coming on Thursday... ;)

How will you ever cope? :p :

[Daniel]

Willing to trade with any of our Euro buddies if they so wish. I can enjoy the cold once again whilst you lot will have to put up with the 37degC that's coming on Thursday... ;)

How will you ever cope? :p :
You mean "euro liberal's" surely? :p

People ask why I moved here when the weather is so "great" back in Australia........

[Azumanga Davo]

Didn't enjoy today much neither. It was "only" 35degC... :eek:

[Daniel]

Puts the media freaking out about -5C into some perspective.

In any case it was supposed to be -5C here this morning at 7am, but it was actually a balmy 0C.

Was about -5 at that time here!!!!

[donKey jote]

-15C when I got to work this morning... maybe we could actually do some winter tests here instead of up in Lappland :p :

http://freenet-homepage.de/donks/IMG_0336_.jpg



racing a snowmobile on oval when it was about -25c
pity we don't have any snowmobiles :D
http://freenet-homepage.de/donks/IMG_0332_.jpg


http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

[schmenke]

I think we are finally emerging from the deep-freeze. Minus 3 for a high today, with Chinook winds blowing in a scorching +6 for tomorrow. Expect the city to get sloppy :s

[Mark in Oshawa]

Donkey...what race course is that or road?

[donKey jote]

It's a test track (~3 year old googlemap here (http://www.satellite-sightseer.com/id/9993) - the larger one)

top photo is the 200m circle, bottom one is the south-west view of the oval from the bridge :)

no tire testing expected at this location for the next few days :p

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

[Drew]

-15C when I got to work this morning... maybe we could actually do some winter tests here instead of up in Lappland :p :

http://freenet-homepage.de/donks/IMG_0336_.jpg



pity we don't have any snowmobiles :D
http://freenet-homepage.de/donks/IMG_0332_.jpg


http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

No tyre marks, I'm disappointed!

[donKey jote]

fox marks under the bridge though :p

it was first thing in the morning, plus if you drive on it you compact it and the tyre marks take longer to thaw (no gritting or salt allowed) :s

had fun on the link roads though :D

[Mark in Oshawa]

That looks like they are one sunny day from being back in business. That isn't happening here. 10 to 15 cm of snow with freezing ice pellets mixed in for tomorrow. I am sorta happy I am not getting work right now....

[Easy Drifter]

Started snowing here before dawn and just quit. Far more than forecast. Squalls for tomorrow.

Despite warnings from police, snowmobile clubs in the papers and on TV into the water they go.
One on Lake Simcoe today. !0 feet from shore. Locals rescued him and his snowmobile.
Yesterday late afternoon one into Midland Harbour. Rescued by a local contractor and his crew. Midland Fire Dept. also involved. He is in hospital. He was a local too.
Hit pressure crack where the Coast Guard icebreaker had been working. That it was working the Harbour has been on the news for 2 weeks and warnings out to stay off the ice.
We still have lakers in and out of harbour and they need the icebreaker.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Brrrr is right....had to go rescue my better half and try to change a flat tire in slush and S%^t. Iam cold to the BONE now....

[Easy Drifter]

Misearable. Not slush up here. High was -5. But 25cm of fresh white s--t with another 15 forecast for tomorrow.
Snowmobile clubs are hoping to get some trails open. With -20 to -25 forecast for weekend most ice will tighten up.
The rain and high winds caused havoc. Mostly the wind as many trees and branches down which have to be cleared off the trails by volunteers.
Was talking to a friend who is a snowmobile patroller about the trails. She is actually a special constable. They usually work with a regular OPP Officer but they do have Police powers on their own and can issue tickets and arrest people. They are not armed and have regular jobs but patrol on weekends and evenings. They do take a considerable amount of training and only the most experienced work without a regular officer.

[schmenke]

The Chinook winds never did materialise :( . Minus 15 today with snow on the way :s

Sounds like it's miserable from coast to coast, although I'm glad I'm not in southern BC right now :mark:

[Easy Drifter]

We got lucky today. The squalls and 15cm did not happen. Sunshine all day and high of -10c
However Barrie, 24 K south of here, and further south got nailed with squalls for both the morning and evening rush hours.
Barrie has become a bedroom city for the GTA. 20 years ago the population was about 50,000. 10 years ago 70,000. Today about 130,000.
The 400 highway which is 6 lanes is wall to wall cars during rush hours.

[Easy Drifter]

Gad two good days in a row but high of -11c. Forecast low for next several days -20 to -25c. Will help ice conditions but most of Simcoe still open as is most of Georgian Bay.
Another idiot through the ice on Lake Simcoe near where the snowmobile went in. On ice that had just formed the day before, on an ATV. He got off in time but ATV on the bottom. Barrie Fire Service called out with ice rescue craft.
Some snowmobile trails open but not all. Some morons are going onto unopen trails. I will be very suprised if there are not several 'incidents' this weekend.
The OPP and Snowmobile Patrol Officers (Special Constables) will be out this weekend.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Winter 09 in Ontario...let the carnage begin....

[Easy Drifter]

Another nice day up here although -29c last night.
One snowmobiler killed in SW Ont. Not much in the way of detail yet but sounds like he was on a closed trail. Not sure.

[Easy Drifter]

Snow off and on all day. High winds. Temp. started at about 0 but headed for the cellar. Expected low near -30.
First ice fishing hut out on Hog Bay where I can see it. I do not think the guy has a clue as it is in a fairly shallow sandy area where there is no cover for the fish. Of course the true purpose of some ice fishing huts is not really to catch fish. Hic. Burp. ;)

[Easy Drifter]

I was startled tonight on the Barrie news when it was reported there had been 7 snowmobile deaths in Ont. already. Snowmobiling has not been good until this past weekend and still many trails are not open.
BC has had numerous deaths this year of snowmobilers and skiers/snowboarders from avalanches.
Here they hit things or go into open water.

[Mark in Oshawa]

-10 and dropping tonight...my truck had electrical issues and I had to try to diagnose where to put jumper cables to get it to the shop. God I HATE winter since I started driving a big rig. They just don't like this cold....

[Easy Drifter]

I hope you have a good heater in the cab.
When I rode on one the trips to Fla. in mid winter and very cold the cab wasn't bad but when we had to stop in northern Pa. (the old logbook) the driver checked the temp. in the sleeper and we took a room in the Truck Stop Motel.

[Hondo]

-10 and dropping tonight...my truck had electrical issues and I had to try to diagnose where to put jumper cables to get it to the shop. God I HATE winter since I started driving a big rig. They just don't like this cold....

They just don't make Global Warming like they used to anymore.

[Easy Drifter]

This cold weather and all the snow are all Obama's fault.
I have no idea why but it must be. :D

[Hondo]

Obama, the Exalted Transparent One, isn't in office yet. This is GW's last shot at the world.

[janneppi]

After the two days with temps at +4 and some rain, pretty much all the snow is gone. If any luck, we might get some sleet today. :(

[Eki]

This cold weather and all the snow are all Obama's fault.
I have no idea why but it must be. :D
He signed the Kyoto treaty and canceled the global warming?

[Camelopard]

It sure is global warming here, temperature at 19:30 pm (25 minutes ago) was 35.4 degrees C, down from a max of 36.5 degress C at 17:00.

Not much fun when you are on nightshift and trying to sleep during the day.

[Daniel]

It sure is global warming here, temperature at 19:30 pm (25 minutes ago) was 35.4 degrees C, down from a max of 36.5 degress C at 17:00.

and people ask me why I moved to the UK.

[gadjo_dilo]

Not much fun when you are on nightshift and trying to sleep during the day.

Here in Romania those who are on nightshifts use to sleep at work. :laugh:

It's 11 a.m. and -3 C degrees. Quite warm in comparison with the latest days.

[Camelopard]

Here in Romania those who are on nightshifts use to sleep at work. :laugh: ....

Some of us here do! Not me though, I'm a goody 2 shoes..... :)

[schmenke]

Currently -6C and snowing, but Environment Canada ensures us +10 and sunny tomorrow, similar for Friday :)

[Camelopard]

and people ask me why I moved to the UK.

39.3 at 5pm in Perth today!

Canbrerra only got up to 35.4, although it has now dropped to 18.6 at 11:00 pm. We are meant to be getting some storms, hope so!

[Daniel]

39.3 at 5pm in Perth today!

Canbrerra only got up to 35.4, although it has now dropped to 18.6 at 11:00 pm. We are meant to be getting some storms, hope so!

I do miss the summer storms but I much prefer the weather here 10 degrees outside in the middle of the day :)

[Camelopard]

Hey Daniel, see what you are missing.... or not, as the case may be... :)

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/16/2468149.htm?section=justin

[gadjo_dilo]

I wish I live in Australia. 42 degrees are better than -22C.

[schmenke]

Winnipeg, Manitoba, dropped to -43C the other day :s ...and that wasn't even a record :mark:

[Daniel]

Winnipeg, Manitoba, dropped to -43C the other day :s ...and that wasn't even a record :mark:

:mark: I think even for me that would be waaaaay too cold

[schmenke]

That's too cold for a freakin' penguin :p :

[Daniel]

That's too cold for a freakin' penguin :p :

I used to work in a freezer at -18 though :D

[schmenke]

Cool.






:uhoh:

[Easy Drifter]

-26c last night. High expected to be -15. Nothing but sun and little wind. Yesterday was about the same only cloudy but a few miles south snowsqualls and accidents all over. The cops and tow trucks couldn't keep up.
Had a deer wandering down a road in our Park yesterday. Looked like a young doe. Deer are common is this area but this is the first time I have seen one right in town.
Mind you we did have a bear in town in the late fall but that I didn't see.

[Easy Drifter]

What the heck is going on with the white stuff?
Toronto and southern Ont. are getting nailed as I write. I am in snowbelt country and nada. They are getting more storms in the GTA than in the snowbelt. Mind you you we make up for it with squalls.
Of course, last night light flurries forecast ended up as 4 inches of the blasted stuff.
I have a problem when it is really cold with my hot water line freezing up. Not the cold just the hot.
So all week I have been leaving the hot water dripping in the bathroom. No problem. Last night dummy here turned it off at about 7. OOOOOPS. By 10 no hot water. It must be getting warmer. A few minutes ago I had hot water again. Tap is now back on drip.
Come on summer!!!!!

[Mark in Oshawa]

Drifter, you should get some insulation in that wall. How your hot freezes and your cold doesn't is a mystery to me.

As for down here...snow all it wants..I live in an Apartment and I am not going anywhere til Monday....

Come on summer!!!!!

Sorry, you can't have it for a while yet, we're making full use of it down here :)

[Easy Drifter]

2 feet of snow in last 48 hours. Yuk!
At least 1 snowmobile death on weekend in Ont. Woman hit a dock.
A 7 year old died after falling through ice into water on Nottawasga Bay (part of Georgian Bay). Died in Hospital.
A very bad fire in Orillia (I used to live there) An Old Age Home. 2 dead and 8 in ICU plus 4 more in Hospital. Had to transfer 5 to ICU's in other hospitals as too many for Orillia.
Entire Orillia Fire Dept fighting it along with units from Severn Twp. and Rama (Indian Reserve with large well equipped Dept., because of the Casino). Oro-Medonte Twp. are providing coverage for the City of Orillia.

[schmenke]

Chinook winds have finally blown in. While Drifter and co. suffer out east, our little pocket of Eden has been basking in ~ +15C temps :D (kinda goes along with all these forum bikini ads :D )

Terrible times in the mountains though... several tragic deaths due to avalanches... happens every year despite the repeated warnings :s

[Easy Drifter]

Another snowmobile death in Ont. On Cookes Bay, Lake Simcoe. Hit an Ice Fishing Hut in dark at high speed. They never learn. That Bay is covered with ice huts

[Daniel]

You Canadians seem to be obsessed with people dying because of winter weather :p

[Easy Drifter]

+3c today. First time since Christmas week it got above freezing. Sunny until 3 pm. Most paved roads are snow free for the first time in weeks. Even the main highways have been snow covered or just partially bare much of the time.
It is a good thing we can take a joke though. It is bring in the Brass Monkey time tonight. Forecast low is -25c. High for tomorrow -10c and for Sunday high of -15c.

Daniel: We talk about the deaths because most of them are caused by stupidity and booze, at least in Ontario.
Every year many of the snowmobile deaths are from people half cut or worse driving at high speed in the dark across lakes. They are going well beyond their headlights and up to 80 or 90 MPH. They go into open water, hit docks, hit rocks, hit islands, even the shore, etc. Pressure cracks can form in short periods of time and can leave a ridge of solid ice as much as three feet high. Hit one of those at speed and you either have a big crash or go airborne and then crash.
Many others hit cars, often parked cars, when driving on sideroads. They cannot stop quickly and steering is a bit dodgy on hard packed snow. They just can't change direction quickly.
Snowmobiles are great and in some areas the only way to get around but they need to be treated with great respect. The trails have speed limits and are patrolled by the OPP and Special Constables from the Clubs. The Special Constables receive many hours of police training and have powers of arrest and can issue tickets. They are not armed.
There are no speed limits on the lakes and none trail areas. When riding beside a highway the speed limit is 1/2 the posted limit and many towns have speed limits. I have been passed by snowmobiles riding on the shoulder when I was doing the speed limit or more!
I have great respect for what snowmobiles can do as when younger often rode them and even raced them a bit. :cool:
As I think I posted before it at least thins out the gene pool. :eek:

[ShiftingGears]

It's 43C right now. Yikes.

[Easy Drifter]

Lucky you. -29 last night. High today -15. Forecast of -10 high tomorrow.
One more snowmobile death. None on proper trails.
A lucky guy yesterday. Crossing a major highway and hit by an SUV. Minor injuries but he has been charged by the OPP.
Today one hit a pressure crack on Georgian Bay. Broke both legs and his pelvis. Tay Twp. Fire Dept. (where I live) rescued him but it took an hour to get him to shore. Sent by Air Ambulance to Toronto.
Ice was not safe for chopper to land.
Pretty well all the Fire Depts. have ice rescue equipment. More and more of them are now billing people for rescue costs.

[Hondo]

A mere 1.6 here, but cold enough for a heavy coat for me and Sweetie's nightly woods walk. I wonder if she just enjoys the cold or if there really are that many more items that require prolonged investigative sniffing on her part when it's cold outside.

All these reports of medical incidences and deaths in Canada just goes to prove that no one country has the market cornered when it comes to people endangering themselves by acting the fool. Especially when alcohol is involved.

It's always a shame that rescuers have to put their own safety at risk to save the foolish. I think the government ought to bill the people when they have to save them from themselves.

[Easy Drifter]

It is mild today. -12C and snowing. Usually by the end of Feb. I am tired of winter. I am already tired this year. Normally winter doesn't start really until late Dec. This year early Nov. Constantly digging out car gets to be a pain.
Yet another snowmobile death. Hit a tree. As the OPP put it "Alcohol was a factor."

[schmenke]

We're back to the deep-freeze. -25C yesterday and a balmy -15 today for my daughter's skiing lessons :dozey:

[Camelopard]

44 centigrade in Adelaide at the moment (1pm), that 111 degrees F!!!!

It's a mere 34.7 in Tuggeranong, (area of Canberra), that's only 94 F....

[Easy Drifter]

Nice and balmy today with some sun. Got up to -6.
Maybe 0 tomorrow but more snow. The GTA is going to get more than we will in the snow belt. It has happened several times this winter. Most unusual.
The Toronto TV stations are predicting doom and gloom with 10 cm forecast.
We call that a dusting. ;)

[schmenke]

So you think you have snow...! The followilng pics were recently taken in January 2009 on the CPR Mainline Between Revelstoke and Golden, British Columbia...

[schmenke]

...

[schmenke]

(Sorry, I'm terrible with attachments...)

[Easy Drifter]

Beautiful area-- in the summer.
Beats us by quite a bit for snow.
Snowing in Southern Ont.
GTA in chaos as usual. Schools closed, busses cancelled, accidents every where, Toronto hotels offering special storm rates.
Up here just another normal snowy day.


Snowmobile idiots: The other night a snowmobile crashed into a car on Bayfield St. in Barrie while running from the police. Passenger not wearing a helmet and charged. 19 year old driver hurt and in hospital and facing several charges.
This happened in the city. Barrie is about 130,000 people and Bayfield is the busiest street in the city with several large Malls and smaller plazas plus umpteen restaraunts. Bayfield is often stop and go traffic. When it happened there was no snow on the road, just wet pavement.
Talk about stupid!!! Methinks booze just might have been involved.

[Easy Drifter]

Aaaaaaaaaaargh! It has been snowing now for three days more or less solid. At least 20 hours a day.
If that little rodent Wiarton Willie predicts 6 more weeks of winter on Monday I think I will go hunting, if a friend of mine in Wiarton, doesn't get him first.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Aaaaaaaaaaargh! It has been snowing now for three days more or less solid. At least 20 hours a day.
If that little rodent Wiarton Willie predicts 6 more weeks of winter on Monday I think I will go hunting, if a friend of mine in Wiarton, doesn't get him first.


Drifter...there is somewhere one of those viral emails of the story of a guy retiring to the snow belt and his opinion as the winter goes on...I have to find it...he loves the snow in December...and by February he is in jail after killing the snow plow driver....

[Easy Drifter]

I have read it. 10 tenths has it by 'The Bear' in Parc Ferme. I am beginning to agree except I have had neighbors not only doing my drive but cleaning off the car! They are doing about 5 places on the street by hand. No one has asked them to, they are just doing it.
Their first year here from the GTA and they are no youngsters either.
The Park had to bring in a large snowblower. Their plow had run out of places to put it.
Coldwater is close to a record amt. of snow for an entire winter! They have more than we do.
My Ex is in sunny New Mexico!

[Easy Drifter]

At the moment the sky is some weird colour. I am not sure what it is. I think it might be called blue.
Usual grey moving in though. :confused: :s hock:

[schmenke]

Temps on the happy side of 0 all week. No precip forecasted :)

[Mark in Oshawa]

Blue skys here boys.....gotta hit the road today and I wont have to drive through a snowstorm..woohoo!!!

[schmenke]

Blue skys here boys.....gotta hit the road today and I wont have to drive through a snowstorm..woohoo!!!

What direction you heading?

[Easy Drifter]

Where's my varmint gun? That white rodent Wiarton Willie saw his shadow. 6 more weeks of winter. I expect Eric (designer and builder of Xpit race cars) who lives just outside of Wiarton is out hunting him right now.
Second day in a row of sun. Fairly mild around 0. Everybody is confused!
Big drop in temp. coming starting tonight. Down to -25 by Wed. night.

[Powered by Cosworth]

http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/4034/dayafterhj1.jpg

[Easy Drifter]

:D :D :D
We are just shy of 300 cm. so far this winter.
-25 to -30c tonight.
Forecast for Sat. +7 and rain then back down again.
Talk about confusing.
Just hope we don't get another ice jam on the Hog River.
In the thaw at Christmas it got to within a foot of flooding because of an ice jam and a lot of the ice is still piled up. At the moment it flows nicely under the ice but with a quick thaw and rain?
I am 100 feet from the river and maybe 6 inches above the bank. House has no basement and is about two feet up but my shed is at ground level.

[Camelopard]

Glad it's only going to be 38-39 degrees here, unlike Adelaide.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/06/2483901.htm?section=justin

"Temperatures in the mid-40s are forecast for much of the state, with Adelaide expecting 43 degrees Celsius"

[schmenke]

Glad it's only going to be 38-39 degrees here, unlike Adelaide.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/06/2483901.htm?section=justin

"Temperatures in the mid-40s are forecast for much of the state, with Adelaide expecting 43 degrees Celsius"

How so you Aussies cope? :s

[Daniel]

How so you Aussies cope? :s
Move to the UK :D

[Camelopard]

Move to the UK :D

Some of us don't have that option! Mind you in a couple of years when we are both retired we will spend time in Vancouver but probably during our winter.

[Daniel]

Some of us don't have that option! Mind you in a couple of years when we are both retired we will spend time in Vancouver but probably during our winter.
Why not? Most Aussies have British ancestors. Move here damnit!

[ShiftingGears]

How so you Aussies cope? :s

Being in a well insulated house with fans running all the time. Either that or staying in a pool. That's worked for me. But then again, it hasn't hit 45 degrees in this part of Sydney yet.


I like the thought of being able to walk home at 1 in the morning in a T-shirt and shorts and sandals, however. Much more than being immobilised by snow :p :

[Camelopard]

Why not? Most Aussies have British ancestors. Move here damnit!

But then I'd have to put up with warm beer and cold meat pies!!!!! :)

[ShiftingGears]

But then I'd have to put up with warm beer and cold meat pies!!!!! :)

Worst idea ever!

[schmenke]

...Vancouver ...

Ah yes, Hong Kong with more moutains and trees :D :uhoh:

[schmenke]

..I like the thought of being able to walk home at 1 in the morning in a T-shirt and shorts and sandals...

I'd be fortunate to do that in the middle of our summer here :s

[Easy Drifter]

Heat wave tomorrow. +7.
I would put on my bathing suit and sit on back deck for a Barbie except:
A Would scare all wildlife for 5 miles.
B Would scare all women for 10 miles. :eek:
C Don't know which pile of snow the BBQ is under.
D Not sure which piles of snow are the chairs.
E Snow on back deck is still 3 to 4 feet deep.

[Camelopard]

Ah yes, Hong Kong with more moutains and trees :D :uhoh:

My wife tells me that some people were trying to sell t-shirts a few years ago with Hongcouver written on the front, didn't last long.............

Anyway I don't want to get into a global warming argument, but things are happening, maybe climate change is a better name?

Melbourne in the south of the country (we call them mexicans!) had one of the hottest days on record at 46 degrees C, whilst in the north of the country Queensland (we call them rednecks!) is having major flooding and the rest of us in the middle (insert suitable name here!) are dealing with very serious bushfires.....

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/07/2485203.htm?section=justin

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/07/2485199.htm?section=justin

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/07/2485190.htm?section=justin

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/07/2485183.htm?section=justin

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/07/2485178.htm?section=justin

Though a little light relief here from the UK:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/07/2485099.htm?section=justin

[Mark in Oshawa]

Camel, every year it seems I watch the news at some point in our winter and hear about a heat wave in OZ with no rain and bush fires. Now if there was a cool summer down under, I suppose I wouldn't have any idea of it since I am not there but I cannot remember a winter here going by without the obligatory story in the media about the heat and/or the bush fires in Australia. Not to mention watching the Australian Open from Melbourne and the players are dying in the heat....

[Camelopard]

Camel, every year it seems I watch the news at some point in our winter and hear about a heat wave in OZ with no rain and bush fires. Now if there was a cool summer down under, I suppose I wouldn't have any idea of it since I am not there but I cannot remember a winter here going by without the obligatory story in the media about the heat and/or the bush fires in Australia. Not to mention watching the Australian Open from Melbourne and the players are dying in the heat....

I think there are Australian news stories in the Canadian media and Canadian news stories in the Australian media due to the rather large number of expatriates living in each others homeland.

P.S., a camelopard is a giraffe, not a camel......................

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/camelopard

[Mark in Oshawa]

I stand corrected on the Camel thing..

AS for the expats in Canada from Oz, I cant figure out why you would voluntarily move to a nation with winter coming from a land of summer......

I worked with an Aussie who fell in love with a Canadian nurse and he moved to be in Canada. It was -22 c one night and the windchill was at least -30 and we were both fuelling up our rigs and I asked him why in the world would he volunteer to move to put up with our winters. He told me that basically he couldn't take the heat of an Australian summer but on nights such as the one we were suffering through, he was wondering how much he hated that heat. I pointed out he could always have moved to Tasmania, it being the most temperate state.

I just know that stories of Australia suffering through the heat are a staple on American tv broadcasts as well......I heard about the latest heat wave on the American version of the Weather Channel

[Camelopard]

I worked with an Aussie who fell in love with a Canadian nurse and he moved to be in Canada.


Well my story is the reverse, although I made her come here................. and yes she is also a nurse........................., worked years ago at VGH in intensive care...... Her sister (also a nusre) is coming to visit for 2 weeks on the 15th, boy is she in for a shock........................ :) Although as long as she brings me some license plates I don't care...............

[Camelopard]

35 confirmed dead in Victorian bushfires, some of the fires have apparently been deliberately lit, ratbag arsonists...............................

http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/bushfires/

A complete town wiped out: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/08/2485378.htm

Meanwhile as posted earlier. North Queensland is having the worst flooding in over 30 years............

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/08/2485430.htm?section=justin

[Mark in Oshawa]

35 confirmed dead in Victorian bushfires, some of the fires have apparently been deliberately lit, ratbag arsonists...............................

http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/bushfires/

A complete town wiped out: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/08/2485378.htm

Meanwhile as posted earlier. North Queensland is having the worst flooding in over 30 years............

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/08/2485430.htm?section=justin

Sobering news from down under. Camelpard, I have always wondered if the "Gum" tree's down in Australia being full of Eucalyuptus oil are maybe more likely to burn hot and be more easily combusted in dry conditions. Tree's here in the dry season when there are forest fires in the north are just tinder dry and almost sap free when the fires start. Is the type of tree a factor?

[Camelopard]

Sobering news from down under. Camelpard, I have always wondered if the "Gum" tree's down in Australia being full of Eucalyuptus oil are maybe more likely to burn hot and be more easily combusted in dry conditions. Tree's here in the dry season when there are forest fires in the north are just tinder dry and almost sap free when the fires start. Is the type of tree a factor?

Most definitely, the oil is a problem, although when the fires came through Canberra 6 years ago the pine tree forests surrounding us were considered a major factor in the fires spreading so quickly. It was stinking hot then as well.

No doubt that the hot weather has a lot to do with it and also afaik all eucalyptus drop leaves and bark all year round making for a lot of combustible litter, also a problem in suburbia with gum leaves in gutters.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Do they use water bombers on forest fires in Australia? I cant imagine them not but I guess getting the water for the reload might be an issue. In Canada there are lakes everywhere in the Canadian shield where most of the fires are....

[Camelopard]

Do they use water bombers on forest fires in Australia? I cant imagine them not but I guess getting the water for the reload might be an issue. In Canada there are lakes everywhere in the Canadian shield where most of the fires are....

They normally have the helicopter water bombers, from Canada I think, not sure about planes though. Elvis and Elsie!
When the fires came through here they were filling the bags from swimming pools near to where the fires were.

[Mark in Oshawa]

They normally have the helicopter water bombers, from Canada I think, not sure about planes though. Elvis and Elsie!
When the fires came through here they were filling the bags from swimming pools near to where the fires were.

Some how I don't think this bird would get its 1500 plus gallons of water from a pool....

[Mark in Oshawa]

For those not aware, that is the first purpose built designed water bomber in the world, a Canadair CL 415, with two Pratt and Whitney Turbo props with 2300 hp each. The beast carries 1622 US gallons of water and it can scoop it on the run with a touch and go on a water surface. Right now they are collecting snow up here in Canada sitting awaiting summer. If there was water close by maybe somehow they could be used on fire duty in Australia.

[rah]

For those not aware, that is the first purpose built designed water bomber in the world, a Canadair CL 415, with two Pratt and Whitney Turbo props with 2300 hp each. The beast carries 1622 US gallons of water and it can scoop it on the run with a touch and go on a water surface. Right now they are collecting snow up here in Canada sitting awaiting summer. If there was water close by maybe somehow they could be used on fire duty in Australia.

They looked at them a while ago, but our lakes are too small for them to be useful. The sky cranes are the biggest water bombers we have.

[Camelopard]

What a difference a week makes: maximum temperature today in Tuggeranong (an area of Canberra) was 16 degrees C. This time last week it was over 36 degrees.

Meanwhile in Perth it was 39.7 today...............

[Mark in Oshawa]

Camelopard, I take it though Canberra being up in the mountains would have a slightly more temperate climate anyhow?

As for wacky weather, we finally had a thaw this week in my part of the world. Thursday, ran into a trucker out of Arizona all disappointed he couldn't take pictures of lots of snow. We had 2 days of rain and 9C temperatures. It is dropping and is below freezing now, but I can almost see grass below my flat and I know spring isn't far off. The Sun FEELS stronger....with that, maybe Australia can get some relief....

[Camelopard]

Camelopard, I take it though Canberra being up in the mountains would have a slightly more temperate climate anyhow?

Mountains! Erika laughs when people refer to the hills around here as mountains...... Canberra is only about 580 metres above sea level, most of our weather comes from the west and we aren't close enough to the ocean to get any benefit from sea breezes. Erika's sister is currently on a plane from Vancouver, arrives tomorrow afternoon, so I'm sure she will be much happier that it is cool.

Generally if it's been stinking hot in Perth or Adelaide we will get it a few days later. We do winds from the south in winter which are generally cold. It does get down to -8/-9 C, which is unpleasant but nothing compared to Winterpeg (as she calls it!) or Edmonton or where you live.

[Easy Drifter]

Even up here in snowbelt a huge amount of snow has disappeared and no real accumulation forecast for next week. Going down to -20 tonight but the days are forecast to be between -6 to 0 for the next week. Still cold at night.
The Hog River is flowing fast but not overly high as is the Sturgeon. However the Coldwater was close to going over its banks in the Town of Coldwater as at 4.30 today. With the cold nights it should be OK.
All the snowmobile trails are closed and the warnings are out about going onto the lakes. Despite this there were several out on Hog Bay today.
Skiing is still fine as everybody had a good base and can make snow every night with the cold temps.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Mountains! Erika laughs when people refer to the hills around here as mountains...... Canberra is only about 580 metres above sea level, most of our weather comes from the west and we aren't close enough to the ocean to get any benefit from sea breezes. Erika's sister is currently on a plane from Vancouver, arrives tomorrow afternoon, so I'm sure she will be much happier that it is cool.

Generally if it's been stinking hot in Perth or Adelaide we will get it a few days later. We do winds from the south in winter which are generally cold. It does get down to -8/-9 C, which is unpleasant but nothing compared to Winterpeg (as she calls it!) or Edmonton or where you live.

-8 or -9 is not any more than about 40 days a year actually!! Probably less.

As for mountains, I know the Australian Alps are close to the A.C.T. so I wasn't sure on just where they were in relation to the city. I have always been intrigued by planned cities such as Brasilia or Canberra and how they are laid out and were conceived, so Canberra I would love to visit. I know it is supposed to be a dull town ( like Ottawa our capital, the town that fun forgot!) but I am into the lifestyle and layout of such cities. As for you having those one or two cold days, until you open up a long ice rink in the middle of town every July for 2 weeks of skating, I wont put you in the same league with Ottawa. There you can skate on the Rideau Canal for about 14 km and do it from mid January to the end of Feburary.....and THAT my friend requires more than few days at -8...

[Camelopard]

-8 or -9 is not any more than about 40 days a year actually!! Probably less.

As for mountains, I know the Australian Alps are close to the A.C.T. so I wasn't sure on just where they were in relation to the city. I have always been intrigued by planned cities such as Brasilia or Canberra and how they are laid out and were conceived, so Canberra I would love to visit. I know it is supposed to be a dull town ( like Ottawa our capital, the town that fun forgot!) but I am into the lifestyle and layout of such cities. As for you having those one or two cold days, until you open up a long ice rink in the middle of town every July for 2 weeks of skating, I wont put you in the same league with Ottawa. There you can skate on the Rideau Canal for about 14 km and do it from mid January to the end of Feburary.....and THAT my friend requires more than few days at -8...

The 'Snowy Mountains' are about 120 kms south, they do cover quite a large area, but there are not too many mountains. Rather than show my ignorance of the local area, I'll point you to this!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowy_Mountains

I'm not sure if you can see this,

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=-35.2950923&lon=149.0405273&z=13&l=0&m=a&v=2

but anyway all this area used to be pine forest before the fires in 2003, now all the remmants have been cleared and Stromlo has been turned into a cycling mecca. It will host the Wolrd Mountain Bike Championships this year, the same weekend as Rally Australia up north.

This area also suffered badly and now all the dead trees have been cut down.

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=-35.3117283&lon=148.9102364&z=15&l=0&m=h&v=2

The Mount Stromlo Observatory was completely destroyed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Stromlo_Observatory

Some stuff on canberra's bushfires if you are interested. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canberra_bushfires_of_2003

Last one, this map shows the areas that were affected by the fires in the ACT.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Canberra_bushfire_map-MJC.png

[Easy Drifter]

Totally off topic.
Mark, do you remember those huge grain elevators in Port McNicoll?
Demolition starts in a couple of weeks. I and hundreds of boaters will miss them.
Back on topic. The high school kids and many adults from The Port, Victoria Harbour and Waubaushene travel to school or work by snowmobile across the ice to Midland. Waub. to Midland is 22k by road but a lot less by the ice and some of those snowmobiles go faster than 80k. Plus no school busses stopping every couple of hundred yards!

[Easy Drifter]

A joke is a joke. After last weekends beautiful weather it has not stopped snowing here for 3 days. Now I have to go out. I know I live in the snowbelt but!!
Funny thing is when I rallied back in the dark ages I loved rallies in the snow.
Now I hate driving in it. Of course my No Weather Contis may have something to do with that.
Next year snows.
At least some neighbors dug me out again. Man do I owe them.

[donKey jote]

Of course my No Weather Contis may have something to do with that.

"No Weather Contis"? What are you driving on? :s
Are they Winter tires?

[Daniel]

"No Weather Contis"? What are you driving on? :s
Are they Winter tires?
The ones on Caroline's car were alright on the snow the other day. When it came to braking though it just slid off the road because of the ABS though :mark: :p :uhoh: I must have been doing all of 5mph and it just didn't stop till it went off the road :p

[Easy Drifter]

They are described as All Weather Continentals. They are OK in the dry but not good in the rain or snow. So I call them No Weather.
They will probably be shot after next summer so I will get something good.

[donKey jote]

Shot all weather tires are useless in snow or at low temperatures, independent of the tire brand !!!
It never ceases to amaze me why people in Canada (or parts of the UK for that matter) don't drive European (or Nordic) Winter tires when it gets cold :s

[Easy Drifter]

There is still a lot of tread left on mine but after the summer they will probably be getting low. They are just an inferior tire but that is what was on it when it was bought. It was a GM fleet car originally.
Being retired I just do not go out normally if it is snowing hard.
Between rallying (held an FIA Licence) and 10 years as a race driver I got enough thrills that I prefer not to drive sideways any more, at least most of the time.

[Daniel]

There is still a lot of tread left on mine but after the summer they will probably be getting low. They are just an inferior tire but that is what was on it when it was bought. It was a GM fleet car originally.
Being retired I just do not go out normally if it is snowing hard.
Between rallying (held an FIA Licence) and 10 years as a race driver I got enough thrills that I prefer not to drive sideways any more, at least most of the time.
It's more the compound of winter tyres than anything which gives them grip in winter. Being an old racer you should know that temperature has a lot of influence on grip and your tyres get harder as they get colder. I'm sure some donkey will come along and tell us at what point our all weather tyres typically become useless though.

[donKey jote]

the grip of all weather tires is always a compromise - worse than summer tires in summer, and worse than winter tires in winter (here in Germany most people have two sets of wheels)... add to this the fact that the US manufacturers (presumably customers too) tend to ask for mileage over grip, and the grip they require (if any) is rated using a blocked wheel on a traction trailer rather than vehicle tests, and you end up with tires I personally wouldn't put on my car over here :)

Drifter I'd be interested in the product name, if you could post it or pm it... I hope I wasn't involved in it's development :p : :D
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

[driveace]

In Finland when you buy a new car in the old days you bought it with "summer tyres on " and then bought another 5 wheels with "winter tyres on" to swop when the snow came.What I want to know is can you run on studded tyres in Canada in winter.When we were rallying in Finland on the winter series we used to use KOMETA tyres.They were very narrow tread ,high profile ,with studs .
I have been to Canada twice ,but not in real winter.My cousin lives in Powell River,and the furthest north I have been is "Green Gables " on Price edward Island

[donKey jote]

You can, but I'm not sure if everywhere or just in the snowbound regions.

Studs would always give you an advantage on ice, but Nordic "contact" tires (extra soft compounds) could be just as good or better on snow (and both these "extreme Winter" tires would be crap on wet surfaces)

How tiresome :dozey: :p :
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_3_166.gif

[Easy Drifter]

Manufacturer is Continental. Described as All Weather. I am not going out and crawl around in the snow to get more details.
They are less than 2 years old.
I now avoid going out in heavy snow and they are adequate if I am careful. Just an inferior tire that GM puts on fleet cars. When I replace them next fall I will get a winter tire and then the following spring a decent summer tire.
Studded tires are legal in Northern Ontario but not the south. So if you live in the north and drive to the south you have to put on non studded tires. Typical stupid Govt. thinking.
I live in snowbelt country but cannot use studs. This area and the area to the lee of Lake Huron gets more snow than Northern Ont. but no studs, although they really they only work on ice or hardpacked snow. When they were legal I had them on some of the cars I rallied. Our main highways in the south are salted so heavily that they are clear except during snowstorms so the reasoning is the damage studs do to the road surface. It does make sense and you can see an example where snowmobile trails cross a paved road. There is a distinct groove from their tracks.
The Province of Quebec has made snow tires mandatory. I forget the exact dates when they are required.
The majority of our Provincial politicains are from the GTA which does not get a lot of snow most winters so their thinking is biased that way. After this winter they may change their minds.
There is an arguement going on here in Simcoe County between the County and the Ambulance drivers. Our ambulances are equipped with All Terrain tires
which are good in muddy conditions and OK on the roads but not super in the snow. The Paramedics want to have snow tires for the winter and the All Terrain tires the rest of the year. The County says the current tires are good enough all year round. Most other Counties in snowbelt country have snow tires.
I know the limitations of the tires I have so drive accordingly. They are just a cheap tire GM throws on fleet vehiciles. It is a hard compound that give long life but poor grip under any conditions.

[schmenke]

-12 deg. C this morning. We've had ~10cm of snow overnight with another ~15 on the way :s . Still, nowhere near as bad as what the east coast has received :mark: .
Not sure what kind of tires my daily commuter is equipped with but it doesn't seem to have a problem in all this snow :p :

[Easy Drifter]

-22 this morning but beautiful sunshine for the last 2 days. We got lucky yesterday as Wasaga Beach/Collingwood got nailed with an all day squall and in a straight line that is only about 15- 20 miles away.

[schmenke]

-23 this morning :s . Supposed to warm up by the w/end, almost to the point of clearing the snow of the BBQ :D

[Easy Drifter]

We are the opposite although last night's light rain showers were 3 inches of snow. Mild today with heavy rain forecast for tonight and then back to deep freeze by Sat. with - 20's forecast.

[Alexamateo]

Well here in Memphis, 8 inches of snow this morning. (Our average per year is 4-5") Temperature is 25 (-4C). Our average for March 1 is usually 60 (15 C). My neighbor who is from Utah told me she was proud of Memphis, we actually had a "real" snow. :p : :D :) . The kids love it, now daddy has to figure out how to build a snowman! see ya!

[tannat]

Well here in Memphis, 8 inches of snow this morning. (Our average per year is 4-5") Temperature is 25 (-4C). Our average for March 1 is usually 60 (15 C). My neighbor who is from Utah told me she was proud of Memphis, we actually had a "real" snow. :p : :D :) . The kids love it, now daddy has to figure out how to build a snowman! see ya!

Isn't it great, AM?

Kids and I are about to go out and have fun now! :up:

[Easy Drifter]

Beautiful sunshine for the past two days.
A real heat wave. Got to -8C yesterday and only -23c last night.
At least the ice racers are happy.
Skiing both downhill and cross country still good.
Snowmobile trails are just so so with bare patches.
Unfortunately yet another death on a snowmobile. Missed a turn and hit a tree.
Bit of an odd one on Lake Simcoe. A pickup truck caught fire and burned while the owner was ice fishing. Nothing anyone could do. Fire trucks are too heavy for the ice. Most Fire Depts. up here have ice rescue equipment, usually airboats and snowmobiles, but they are not equipped for fire fighting.
In the summer most of the Fire Depts. have boats with hoses and pumps on board. Normally just in the 15 to 20 foot range in size.
Be an interesting insurance situation. Policies are normally void if you are on a lake and your vehicle goes through the ice. Don't know what they would do here. The truck did end up partially in the water as the fire melted the ice and the front end went partially in.

[Easy Drifter]

Our deep freeze of -25c nights is supposed to end tomorrow with + temps. by Thurs. Plus double digits by Sat. and back down below 0 by Mon. Talk about confusing.
The bad news is there have been 17 snowmobile deaths in Ont. so far this year up from 13 last year. Every one apparently involved booze!
Last weekend an OPP Officer was injured when he crashed his snowmobile while chasing someone who ran a checkpoint.

The TV and radio weather people keep going on about it being autumn now. I wish they wouldn't, I'm trying to pretend that the summer that disappeared suddenly a couple of weeks ago will come back for a bit longer. Please come back ;(

[janneppi]

I made sure spring is coming early this year too, I'm going to buy a pair of skis tomorrow. :D

[Easy Drifter]

I hope you are right. We had our 1st heavy snow Nov.15 and it stuck.
Our forecast is above freezing tomorrow after several days of -25 temps. The warm spell is expected to continue for several days with Fri. maybe making it to double digits on the plus side.
The Ice racing season ended in Ont. last weekend and they had good ice all season.
See the thread on the Bank Manager. The expected winner apparently got 7 or 8 feet up and there are pictures of her car perched on top of a high snowbank trackside.
Apparently her father, who also races, questioning how she got there used rather colourful idiom which I cannot write here, but it involved religion, waste matter and sex.

[donKey jote]

We just had a 3 day winter "break": dry tracks (sunny and >10°C for the first time this year) just in time for some prototype testing we had scheduled for Tue-Thur :D
Tomorrow it's back to drizzle and ~5°C though :s
Still, in the meantime it's been snowing in Madrid :laugh:

My tears have dried, summer hasn't deserted us after all. We've had a fabulous 27degC day and another good day coming up tomorrow. I am making the most of them. :D

[veeten]

Good warm weather this weekend. :)

Friday was 63 F, and today and tomorrow has more of the same. Yay! :D

[schmenke]

Local temps have been fluctuating like a yo-yo :s . A couple of days of relatively mild temps followed by a couple of days of deep freeze...
-24 C this morning :s

[Easy Drifter]

Crazy here too. Fri. record breaking highs of around +15. Above freezing Sat. and Sun. then 2 inches of snow last night. Below freezing today but not by much. Wed. forecast for +12 and Thurs. a high of -10!

[schmenke]

-31 C this morning. Sigh... :s

27C at the weekend, 7C this afternoon. My body can't adjust to sudden changes like this. :confused:

[Easy Drifter]

After a pretty good late March and a nice early April it started snowing yesterday morning and is still coming down. Heavy wet stuff along with high winds so the drift on my back deck is up to 3 feet and the one in front of the car 2 feet.
Yesterday all school busses here in Simcoe County were cancelled for the first time ever in Simcoe County.
At least the ice has gone off the Bay. Probably why we are still getting snow. :(

[Lalo]

Here it's autumn. Right now its 25ºC and warming up, but at night in can get as low as 12 to 14ºC.

Here's the weather forecast :D
http://espanol.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=Buenos%20Aires,%20Argentina&wuSelect=WEATHER

[janneppi]

Daytime temperatures here are about +5 - +10ºC, at night it drops to about 0ºC.

I've been following a local glacier and currently it retreats to north about 25-40cm a day. the south corner has seperated from the rest of the glacier last night, I'm betting it won last long.


And by glacier I mean a slab of ice and snow on a nearby beach volley field. ;)

[Easy Drifter]

School Busses cancelled again. When I said the first time in history I should have added in April. Now two days in a row. That is not common any time of year.
Snow for two days steady. Most of time not hard but high winds so lots of drifting and poor visibility. Supposed to break tomorrow and be nice over Easter with highs of +5 to +9 and lows of -5 to -10.
Sure stalled yard cleanup and BBQ season. About 30 cm here.
Oh well, Blue Mountain has skiing this weekend now.

[Mark in Oshawa]

School Busses cancelled again. When I said the first time in history I should have added in April. Now two days in a row. That is not common any time of year.
Snow for two days steady. Most of time not hard but high winds so lots of drifting and poor visibility. Supposed to break tomorrow and be nice over Easter with highs of +5 to +9 and lows of -5 to -10.
Sure stalled yard cleanup and BBQ season. About 30 cm here.
Oh well, Blue Mountain has skiing this weekend now.

No snow down here Drifter...lol

Actually, Life for me was really strange. Left Oshawa Saturday night, 5c. Monday AM delivered in Tabor City NC, 24 C and humid. Tuesday back to Canada and 3c. I wonder why I don't get sick!!!