Let It Snow?

Well, it seems that the Sault got really hammered this week. Glad I missed it.

Then again, it was -4°C here Tuesday morning, before the temperature dropped 20° and everything that was wet or slushy turned to solid ice. And then the wind came, and we were dealing with a windchill of -45°C.

Given the choice between near-zero visibility and roads clogged with snow drifts, or bone-chilling winds and ice covered roads and sidewalks, I’m not really sure which I’d pick… perhaps the snow.

I read, with no small amount of pride, of the “vigilante angels” and the excellent job done by City Works and PUC crews, and the Emergency Services Community. The Sault really is well-prepared for most any emergency, and especially to deal with winter storms.

Too often memories are short where weather is concerned, so I was pleased to note that the results of the poll question (“Can you remember the Sault getting a storm as bad as this during your lifetime?”) show two-thirds of the respondents DO remember other storms which were as bad as this most recent one.

While the Sault did get hammered, Southern Ontario was also taking a beating. True, they got less snow, overall, than the Sault. But they typically get less snow to begin with. We may laugh at cities in Southern Ontario when they get a few centimeters of snow and call it a “storm,” but we must also put this into perspective.

I got a message from a friend in Cambridge who commented that the day before the storm hit, what snow had accumulated since Christmas had all but melted.

Cities in Southern Ontario just aren’t as prepared to deal with heavy snowfalls and snow storms as we are, because they typically don’t need to be. It would be fiscally irresponsible for a city in S.Ontario to have as large a fleet of snow removal equipment, and as large of a trained-crew of operators, as we do for just one or two winter storms.

Over the years I have heard some griping from Sault residents about how long it takes for the City to the streets after a storm, or get around to blowing-back snow banks. However, I believe these voices are in the minority.

I believe most Sault residents are very happy with the work done by our City crews.

Anyone who has lived, or spent any appreciable time, in Southern Ontario in the winter has first-hand knowledge of the difference in snow-removal practices, and how the much superior those of the Sault’s crews are.

In Hamilton, for instance, only major arteries and bus routes get plowed. If you live on a side street… too bad! Then again, it usually melts away within a week or two after the snowfall.

And, yes… we all remember – and laughed – when Mel Lastman called in the Army because Toronto got 30 cm of snow. But if you’ve spent any time in Toronto in the winter, you know that there is no place to put snow when it falls.

Many homes do not have driveways, and cars are parked along both sides of the street, twenty-four hours a day. There is no winter parking ban. This makes it nearly impossible to adequately clear snow from these streets.

Add to that the sheer volume of traffic in the GTA, and it really is no wonder why any appreciable snowfall would cripple the region.

(One big problem is the tendency of drivers to believe the fallacy that “All Season” tires are suitable for winter driving in Canada.)

Of course, the weather in the Sault or in S. Ontario doesn’t begin to compare to what hit Prince Edward Island. As inconvenient as it was for some Sault residents to be without power for several hours, many PEI residents were without power for most of the week!

Fortunately, unlike the 1998 Ice Storm, the weather changed for the better, with temperatures rebounding to the single negative digits, allowing Hydro crews to restore damaged lines and equipment much sooner than they might otherwise have done.

It’s been a long time since I could call myself a big fan of winter. I don’t mind going skiing occasionally, and I do think the winter scenery is very pretty, but these benefits are no longer swaying the balance against the cold, the shorter days, and the snow shoveling.

Still, winter is a fact of life, and until I uproot myself and move to Phoenix or, better still, Australia, I’ll have to deal with it.

And when I think of places where I would choose to spend the winter, in areas that actually have a snowy winter, then the Sault actually ranks fairly high.

As I mentioned, S. Ontario doesn’t get as much snow, and what it does melts away sooner. All things considered, my preference would be the London – Waterloo – Hamilton region of the province.

The Sault would rank next, given the tremendous capability of our Works crews to deal with the total amount of snowfall they must contend with.

As an aside, Environment Canada Climate Data show an “extreme snow depth” for the Sault as 120 cm, in 1995 [we all remember that!], as compared to 29 cm for Cambridge (1992), 70 cm for London (1977), or 51 cm in Hamilton (1993).

I have never experienced a Prairie winter (although winter in Thunder Bay is similar, I am told), but several friends who have lived in Alberta tell me the marrow-freezing cold is bearable because they can anticipate the warm Chinook winds in February.

My Newfoundlander friends tell me that even the Sault’s snowfall is a mere wisp compared to what falls on The Rock. Stories of climbing out of second-story windows are common, and I have seen pictures of the canyon-like highways dug through the snow leading to Labrador City.

All in all, I would say that the Sault fares reasonably well. It is neither the most moderate of winter climates, nor the most extreme.

And really, it’s not a bad place to spend the winter.

But... that's just my opinion.