(oops this should be in Global Weather)
Yesterday the weather was terrible. There numerous vehicle accidents including major pile ups all over Ontario and Quebec.
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national ... 60217.html
Winter batters Canada, killing at least 5
Last Updated Fri, 17 Feb 2006 18:46:36 EST
CBC News
Powerful winds, freezing rain and snowstorms blasted a large part of the country Friday, causing at least four deaths near Ottawa and another in Quebec as slick roads turned treacherous for motorists.
Southern Ontario and Quebec were battered Thursday night by high winds, freezing rain and thunderstorms, and the extreme weather spilled over into the Friday morning rush hour.
High winds whip through downtown Ottawa on Friday.
In the Ottawa area, whiteout conditions and a flash freeze led to multiple accidents, including a pileup that killed at least four people on an eastbound section of Highway 417 near Embrun. Police say about 60 vehicles were involved, including four tractor-trailers.
A separate section of the same highway was briefly closed after ice flew off a tractor-trailer and smashed through the window of a Voyageur bus. Police say no one was injured in the latter incident.
A 30-car pileup on Highway 17 near Arnprior closed that road for a time as well. Five people were seriously injured.
Dozens of flights were cancelled at Ottawa's international airport, with the bad weather leaving passengers stranded in their seats as the planes sat on the tarmac.
The wind also tore down traffic lights at about 20 different intersections throughout the city of Kingston.
In Canada's biggest city, Toronto Hostel Services issued an extreme cold weather alert aimed at getting the homeless out of the streets, while many flights were delayed or cancelled at Pearson International Airport.
Powerful winds of up to 90 km/h also brought down trees and power lines, resulting in some blackouts. More snow and strong winds were expected through Friday.
Most of Quebec hit by storm
Quebec is being hit by another winter storm, which dumped rain, freezing rain and snow on nearly every region.
An estimated 100,000 customers throughout Quebec were without power by mid-afternoon Friday, Hydro-Quebec told CBC News.
Extremely strong winds and widely fluctuating temperatures were making for extremely difficult and dangerous driving conditions.
At mid-afternoon Friday, dozens of people were trapped in their cars on Highway 40 near Joliette after a major car pileup involving between 50 and 60 cars.
Preliminary reports suggested dozens of people were injured. Police have closed the highway in both directions.
A snow and ice-covered street in Montreal. Almost every region in Quebec was hit by rain, freezing rain and snow on Friday and Hydro-Quebec reported that about 100,000 customers were without power by mid-afternoon.
In Montreal, several accidents were reported, including one in which a car lost control and rammed into a tanker truck.
On Thursday evening, a 35-year-old man was killed because of snowy and windy conditions at St. Christian in the Eastern Townships. Witnesses say the driver was trying to pass a snowplow and collided with another vehicle as he overtook the plow.
Atlantic Canada bracing for wind
The storm is also expected to hit Atlantic Canada, starting with wind warnings for many parts of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia Friday evening. Freezing rain is also expected in some places.
Environment Canada is warning of large waves and pounding surf along Newfoundland's west coast Saturday.
Meteorologist Jeremy March says strong west to southwest winds will develop along the Gulf of St. Lawrence after midnight.
People tried to make alternate plans after all flights were delayed or cancelled at the Ottawa airport.
Forecasters predict waves possibly reaching eight metres around the Port au Port Peninsula on Saturday afternoon.
Chill has West in grip
Meanwhile, the West continues to suffer from a frigid cold snap.
In British Columbia, homeless shelters across the Lower Mainland have declared an extreme weather emergency and are opening extra beds, as overnight temperatures dropped down to –7 C, which is more like –14 C with the windchill.
Albertans continue to face frigid weather, with temperatures of –23 C in Calgary and –20 C in Edmonton.
Regina's has dipped to –27 C, with the wind chill making it feel like – 43 C. Winnipeg is recording temperatures of –32 C, or –45 C with the wind chill.
Extreme weather Canada-wide, 5 dead.
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conestogo_flood
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Skywatch_NC
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Prayers and thoughts with their families and friends.
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conestogo_flood
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It is all those piles ups that get me.
-Ontario-
In the Ottawa area, whiteout conditions and a flash freeze led to multiple accidents, including a pileup that killed at least four people on an eastbound section of Highway 417 near Embrun. Police say about 60 vehicles were involved, including four tractor-trailers.
-
A separate section of the same highway was briefly closed after ice flew off a tractor-trailer and smashed through the window of a Voyageur bus. Police say no one was injured in the latter incident.
-
A 30-car pileup on Highway 17 near Arnprior closed that road for a time as well. Five people were seriously injured.
-Quebec-
At mid-afternoon Friday, dozens of people were trapped in their cars on Highway 40 near Joliette after a major car pileup involving between 50 and 60 cars.
Preliminary reports suggested dozens of people were injured. Police have closed the highway in both directions.
-
-Ontario-
In the Ottawa area, whiteout conditions and a flash freeze led to multiple accidents, including a pileup that killed at least four people on an eastbound section of Highway 417 near Embrun. Police say about 60 vehicles were involved, including four tractor-trailers.
-
A separate section of the same highway was briefly closed after ice flew off a tractor-trailer and smashed through the window of a Voyageur bus. Police say no one was injured in the latter incident.
-
A 30-car pileup on Highway 17 near Arnprior closed that road for a time as well. Five people were seriously injured.
-Quebec-
At mid-afternoon Friday, dozens of people were trapped in their cars on Highway 40 near Joliette after a major car pileup involving between 50 and 60 cars.
Preliminary reports suggested dozens of people were injured. Police have closed the highway in both directions.
-
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Tampa Bay Hurricane
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Cowhide wrote:Global warming?
Certainly a possibility.
It's very difficult to say whether or not it is due to global warming.
Global warming should theoretically lead to more extreme weather...but it is difficult to ascertain as to whether these events (drought and cold)
are natural extremes or global warming, and if global warming, it is tough to ascertain as to what extent global warming is impacting or affecting weather phenomenon currently.
But a powerful question nevertheless.
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conestogo_flood
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- Posts: 1268
- Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2005 5:49 pm
I found this article from the summer about wierd weather Canada wide:
As sun-enthusiasts hit a Toronto beach, it is a week of heat that is expected to break records and set more 'triple threats' – where smog, extreme heat and humidity warnings are issued.
In this image taken from amateur video, a tornado tears through the community of Pilot Mound, Manitoba - causing damage to homes and businesses.
This farm in Bagot, Manitoba has been flooded by endless rainfall.
Extreme weather striking every region of Canada
Updated Tue. Jul. 12 2005 8:52 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
The highly variable weather that's hit virtually every part of Canada this summer may well have an unintended side effect, says an Environment Canada climatologist.
"It's taken our mind off Karla and terrorism," joked Dave Phillips to CTV.ca on Monday.
More seriously, he said virtually every region of Canada has had something to complain about this summer.
Compare Manitoba and southern Ontario.
Manitoba is just starting to recover from a bout of heavy rains, tornadoes and flooding that have caused much damage. Most flood watches are now over. But the province's wettest summer in decades has destroyed about 20 per cent of cropland, leaving it too wet to farm.
In Ontario the hot weather, combined with an absence of rain, could take its toll on crops and trees, Phillips said.
Since June 14, only three millimetres of rain have fallen in the Greater Toronto Area, but Phillips said there's a shortage of precipitation from Windsor in the extreme southwest to Timmins in the north and Kingston in the east of Ontario.
Temperatures in Toronto through to Friday are expected to be in the mid-30-degree Celsius range – setting a record each day.
Despite the lack of rain, the warm air mass is very humid. This drives up the humidex – what the weather feels like compared to what the temperature actually is. The humidex reading for Toronto on Monday was 41 degrees, leading to the city to declare an extreme heat emergency, meaning the chance of weather-related deaths exceeds 90 per cent.
Toronto has issued nine such advisories this year. There were two such alerts last summer.
Toronto's coroner is investigating at least four possible heat-related deaths that have occurred there since the beginning of June.
The province also issued a smog alert, meaning the air quality in the Toronto area has declined to the point where serious health problems could result.
The humidity and heat warning extends into Quebec where it borders Ontario.
To top everything off, a labour dispute at Hydro One, the Crown corporation responsible for power distribution, is straining Ontario's power supply.
If you go out west to Vancouver, however, people there are crying for heat and sun.
"It's either raining or it looks like rain," Phillips said. "I think it was the third-dullest month (in terms of lack of sunshine) on record, and in the last few years, June has been a glorious month."
Fog has cursed Halifax in recent weeks.
"They've been getting one or two good days, then it just peters out and it goes back to something that is more spring-like," Phillips said.
For a really oddball occurrence, a thunderstorm was reported in Iqaliut, he said.
Climate change?
One possible indicator of climate change is highly variable weather.
Phillips said there is a logical explanation for much of the current weather -- too much southerly air into Ontario; a huge trough over B.C. bringing storms to the Prairies. One weird thing is what he calls a "lack of weather," meaning these systems just keep hanging around.
But climatologists will only be able to tell if this is climate change-related in 10 or so years, he said.
However, Dale Marshall of the David Suzuki Foundation had no problems drawing a link.
"The trends are clear. We're seeing increasing temperatures in summer, we're having more extreme weather events, they're costing our economy a greater amount," he said.
As sun-enthusiasts hit a Toronto beach, it is a week of heat that is expected to break records and set more 'triple threats' – where smog, extreme heat and humidity warnings are issued.
In this image taken from amateur video, a tornado tears through the community of Pilot Mound, Manitoba - causing damage to homes and businesses.
This farm in Bagot, Manitoba has been flooded by endless rainfall.
Extreme weather striking every region of Canada
Updated Tue. Jul. 12 2005 8:52 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
The highly variable weather that's hit virtually every part of Canada this summer may well have an unintended side effect, says an Environment Canada climatologist.
"It's taken our mind off Karla and terrorism," joked Dave Phillips to CTV.ca on Monday.
More seriously, he said virtually every region of Canada has had something to complain about this summer.
Compare Manitoba and southern Ontario.
Manitoba is just starting to recover from a bout of heavy rains, tornadoes and flooding that have caused much damage. Most flood watches are now over. But the province's wettest summer in decades has destroyed about 20 per cent of cropland, leaving it too wet to farm.
In Ontario the hot weather, combined with an absence of rain, could take its toll on crops and trees, Phillips said.
Since June 14, only three millimetres of rain have fallen in the Greater Toronto Area, but Phillips said there's a shortage of precipitation from Windsor in the extreme southwest to Timmins in the north and Kingston in the east of Ontario.
Temperatures in Toronto through to Friday are expected to be in the mid-30-degree Celsius range – setting a record each day.
Despite the lack of rain, the warm air mass is very humid. This drives up the humidex – what the weather feels like compared to what the temperature actually is. The humidex reading for Toronto on Monday was 41 degrees, leading to the city to declare an extreme heat emergency, meaning the chance of weather-related deaths exceeds 90 per cent.
Toronto has issued nine such advisories this year. There were two such alerts last summer.
Toronto's coroner is investigating at least four possible heat-related deaths that have occurred there since the beginning of June.
The province also issued a smog alert, meaning the air quality in the Toronto area has declined to the point where serious health problems could result.
The humidity and heat warning extends into Quebec where it borders Ontario.
To top everything off, a labour dispute at Hydro One, the Crown corporation responsible for power distribution, is straining Ontario's power supply.
If you go out west to Vancouver, however, people there are crying for heat and sun.
"It's either raining or it looks like rain," Phillips said. "I think it was the third-dullest month (in terms of lack of sunshine) on record, and in the last few years, June has been a glorious month."
Fog has cursed Halifax in recent weeks.
"They've been getting one or two good days, then it just peters out and it goes back to something that is more spring-like," Phillips said.
For a really oddball occurrence, a thunderstorm was reported in Iqaliut, he said.
Climate change?
One possible indicator of climate change is highly variable weather.
Phillips said there is a logical explanation for much of the current weather -- too much southerly air into Ontario; a huge trough over B.C. bringing storms to the Prairies. One weird thing is what he calls a "lack of weather," meaning these systems just keep hanging around.
But climatologists will only be able to tell if this is climate change-related in 10 or so years, he said.
However, Dale Marshall of the David Suzuki Foundation had no problems drawing a link.
"The trends are clear. We're seeing increasing temperatures in summer, we're having more extreme weather events, they're costing our economy a greater amount," he said.
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