White-outs and Cabin Fever!

These are terrible pictures, but they're here to explain the cabin fever that we sometimes suffer from after days of blowing snow.  We've had temperatures below -20°C (-4°F), blowing snow, snow squalls and wind chill warnings, for 6 days in a row.  We're beginning to talk of the dreaded cabin fever.

The problem is not the snow.  Living in the snowbelt, we can handle lots of snow; in fact we want at least enough to allow us to enjoy those winter sports like skiing and snowmobiling that keep our minds off winter!  Some of us even enjoy it.  We can also handle cold temperatures, if you dress properly.  I won't say we enjoy them, but we can handle them.

The problem is the white-outs when you have 30 or 40 km/hour winds blowing the snow and causing drifting.  Most roadside snowbanks are 3-4 feet high, no problem.  When they reach 4-5 feet, they're a problem at corners, 'cause you may not see other cars coming.  But when they reach 8-10 feet, they're a serious hazard.  On our short 3 mile drive into town there are now 3 stretches of snowdrift 10 feet high, as on the left side of the picture above.

The problem is that the wind blows the snow over that drift, and it swirls around in the lee of the drift, causing complete white-outs.  This is the view into the stretch of road pictured above, when you're returning from town.  This drift is now so high and wide that it's encroaching on the pavement by about 3 feet.  The plows simply can't push it away - you have to drive VERY carefully!

This was the blowing snow as you come to the stop sign, assuming you can pick it out there.  Luckily the trees beyond show up here, marking the spot and there is no drift right here.  But an afternoon of blowing snow like this makes visibility poor everywhere.

But turn left at that stop sign, and this is what you see, another 8 foot drift on the west (right-hand) side, with the snow swirling over top, causing another white-out.  The road is in the centre of the picture if you doubt me, heading for the low point in those evergreens in the distance.  You turn and follow the track of the road; you can see about 20 feet in front of you.  Then you suddenly emerge from the white-out and you're fine.

I thought I'd drive around one block to get some better pictures on the way home, and turned down here.  Bad mistake!  I drove very slowly to the first driveway and turned around, seeing about 20 feet into the white blur as I went.

So that's the problem that interferes with getting out during the winter.  Roads and schools are closed and events are cancelled, and we stay at home.  After 6 days of it, you begin to get desperate to get out - anywhere, as long as it's out!  Today on the way into town they had an enormous snowblower (four feet high and 7 feet wide) cutting into those sections of high drifts, blowing the snow across the road (so it doesn't just make the drift worse), but giving us back the full width of pavement to drive on.

The weather is supposed to break tomorrow; thank goodness!