Listening to the radio and checking the forecast as well as the radar for our area Thursday, I was convinced we were in for a pretty messy winter storm, with freezing rain changing to snow. Freezing rain is the worst because icy conditions can lead to accidents very quickly. These are just photographs of a computer screen, so apologies in advance for the blurriness.
It was forecast as a large storm sweeping up from the States, and moving northeast across Ontario into Quebec, a common pattern for our winter storms. On this radar shot the small white 'hand' is our location here in Meaford, blue is snow, green is rain, and pink is freezing rain. As you can see, it looks like we're in the middle of the storm. But we're not!
Even though we should have been getting heavy snowfall, we were not actually getting any. And we haven't got any either. Nor did we get more than a trace of freezing rain.
This shows a closer view, with an extended area of freezing rain approaching us. It never arrived, or was such a trace amount that we didn't notice. Municipalities actually do a good job of managing winter roads here, spraying a brine solution on the roads
before storms arrive, which helps prevent freezing on the road surface. They also spread sand and salt mixtures (known as 'pickled sand', on the roads if needed. It takes a
really bad storm to overwhelm us!
This one certainly did not!
Good news that the predicted storm didn't affect you much.
ReplyDeleteWe were forecast to get nine inches of snow from that same storm, but as so often happens the weather forecast was a classic "little boy who cried wolf" situation. We did get a bit of freezing rain and perhaps two inches of wet snow. The birds at the feeders are much better at forecasting a storm, this time the birds weren't especially active -- and they were right.
ReplyDeleteWe got basically just rain and maybe a wee bit of very wet snow. I was expecting inches of the white stuff.
ReplyDeleteVery detailed map, I'm so thankful you escaped the worst, and it has passed you by. Down here, sand trucks spread along the worst roads, usually the main highways, and snow ploughs clear the main highways too.But your winters are way more severe than ours, even in the far south.
ReplyDeleteWe have some very cold and wintry weather on the way. I can only hope they are wrong about our HIGH temperature on Wednesday being only 18°F (-8°)!! Yikes!
ReplyDeleteThat's the weather we got!!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you didn't get hit with the storm. Freezing rain ahead of snow is the worst. That's rare here in Saskatchewan, as we're usually too cold for it, but in the past few years it's happened more than once.
ReplyDeleteThat same storm missed us as well. Despite a snow dump earlier in December weahter patterns have been skipping inland and heading east. Looks like we are all in for some really cold weather coming in shortly. And it looks like lots of snow too.
ReplyDeleteI'm pleased the storm missed you.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Great you didn’t get that forecasted mess!
ReplyDeletePretty sweet when this happens.
ReplyDeleteThere are never any complaints when the forecasters get it so wildly wrong this way around. We're threatened with freezing rain here today as a warm front moves in over ground which has been frozen for a week. Luckily it's a Sunday so there shouldn't be too much traffic on the roads.
ReplyDeleteOdd how that happens — or doesn’t happen in this case.
ReplyDeleteThat's great that it didn't reach you. we found often in the summer that the windy storms meant to come our way, seemed to miss us. We were grateful.
ReplyDeleteour weather people are forecasting a big store this coming friday. i'm excited, i'm ready. sorry you did get yours, but we both know you will get a lot of snow this winter!! best you did not get this messy stuff!!
ReplyDeleteI just hope no more rain.
ReplyDeleteI am sure glad i got out of Ontario before that came... though when i got back to bc. Roads were absolutely horrible, bc needs a lesson on winter maintenance from there!
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