CALGARY HIT WITH LATE MAY SNOWSTORM

[tropicana]

Calgary AB
Thu May 24 2007
As much of central Canada swelters in unseasonably hot weather, many Albertans are hauling out their winter boots and shovels to deal with a wet shroud of heavy snow.
The sudden storm began early Thursday morning, downing power lines and trees in Red Deer, Calgary and other communities in west-central Alberta.
The soggy mess slowed traffic to a crawl and prompted some school boards to cancel classes for tens of thousands of students. The Calgary Airport received 8cm of snow, Red Deer saw 14 cm. 15-20cm of snow fell just to the west of Calgary. Some locations in the foothills to the West and Northwest of Calgary would have exceeded 20cm of snow.

Snow free weather normally begins around May 23 in Calgary, so this is a bit late. The most snow to fall in Calgary during any single May day was May 6, 1981 when 48cm buried the city.
This is one of the most latest heaviest snow that this area has seen.

In Manitoba, people in the Portage la Prairie area were starting to relax after nervously listening to tornado warnings.

While there were reports of some funnel clouds on Wednesday, no twisters touched down.

The wonky Prairie weather may seem strange, but is actually par for the course this time of year.

The seasonal transition can often wreak meteorological mayhem across the region.
And if you don't like the weather, just wait a few days, it is bound to change.

Across much of Ontario, it's just the opposite with the forecast calling for temperatures in the 30s.
The warm weather has also brought a smog advisory, which remains in effect across much of southern and central Ontario.

Health officials in Ontario are urging residents, especially those with respiratory problems, to refrain from heavy outdoor activity.
Environment Canada meteorologist Dave Phillips said bad air from the United States is mixing with smog in Canada.
With very little air movement there's no dispersion, resulting in a "fumigation effect, resulting in a dangerous situation."
He points out that poor air quality is not just happening in industrial areas of Ontario, but also in the usually pristine rural and cottage regions to the north.

-justin-