Wow, what a day. I was in Moncton yesterday, and around 11am I'd heard a weather report that said there was 30cm of snow on the ground in Northwestern NB and 60cm to come in the next day or so for "certain" parts of Northern NB. Murphy would suggest that "certain parts" would certainly include my driveway.

Since my cat was home with supplies anticipating only so many days and thus not actively being checked on by a neighbor, I decided I'd better throw my stuff in the car (a day early) and try to beat the storm home. With the car safely in the driveway, I could dig out at my leisure.

For those who are curious, it was a tie.

Thankfully, my neighbor (who you'll see in one of the photos, at a distance) had been thoughtful enough to clear my driveway shortly before I'd arrived.

Still, the main part of the storm was to come. I woke up to this.

To my Torontonian friends, this is a snowfall, and we didn't even have to call the army to dig out. It was pretty much business as usual by noonish, although traffic was understandably a bit more cautious than usual given the unusually narrowed roads.

To my american friends, anybody want to go sledding? We've got a pretty good hill nearby.

Actually, this is a bit of a local record. I remember once when I was fifteen when we had a bit more snow than this within 24 hours (I remember, because I had to do three driveways, twice, before that storm was over.)

The plow-drift extends six or seven feet into the road from the curb, and about five feet into the road from the other side. Digging that out took three hours, and I suspect getting the snow off the back porch by hand is going to take the same again, but that's for tomorrow. *whew*

I'm going to sleep like a log tonight.

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booyaw!

A couple years ago we had a schwag of snow 'overnight', but it was only about 2 feet at my house... of course, drifts made it deeper. Good thing I didn't have the RV then!

This is the sorta stuff my Search and Rescue group lives for - weather gets nasty, the state closes down I-70. Guess who patrols it for stuck people, etc? the State Patrol? The National Guard? No, and No. Rampart Search and Rescue does (at the behest of the Sheriff). We love it cuz we get to search and rescue (well, duh!), but people are rarely hurt, so it's generally a win-win thing.

I keep hoping.. we were called out in November, but it wasn't bad... and now the bloody temperature is floating aound near 60F.

PS.. I don't have a sled, can I borrow yours?

Toboggans are a dime-a-dozen up this way, so sure, I'll pick up a couple of spares.

And LurchGS, as far as I could tell, none of the highways ended up being closed last night. Wimps.

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well, to be honest, it's a combination of snow and wind... east of Denver there are miles and miles of miles and miles... hardly any trees even, to slow things down. So, the roads get slick and the wind just pushes everybody of into the ditch.

Trucks because of the sail area... cars etc because some people are too stupid to recognize danger when it sits up and slaps them on the windshield.

Oh yeah, there's a large expanse of flat land over where New Brunswick meets Nova Scotia. Five years ago, there was a two-day windstorm that was nasty enough that big-rigs running light had to be paired up with big-rigs running heavy. The paired trucks would run side-by-side for fifty kms or so, with the lighter rig having to stay on the heavier rig's lee (downwind side) to keep from being pushed over. Cars could complete that leg without too much grief.

That's one nice thing about New Brunswick. Lots of mountains and foresty areas to keep the roads from getting too bad.

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Great pictures, Moose! Based on the amount of snow that's on the roof, I'd be concerned about snow/ice dams causing under-shingle backup. Do you get up there and clear it at all? Looks like a pretty steep pitch. Hopefully that slope would eventually take care of unacceptable build-up.

Thanks again, those photos brought back memories of northern New England blizzards. Nothing like being able to leave the house by a second-story window!

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Do most folks have the sense to stay in their cars (i.e., their only shelter)? Bet you could write a book.

Chinook?

I was going to say that it's probably hard toboggan with a Canadian over use of his sled, but since Moose says they're a dime-a-dozen (and Canadian funds at that), well...happy sliding!

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Forget sleds, I want to bring my snowshoes! Cool (ha!) pictures, good thing Moose (meese?) like snow.

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Snow.

The neighbors are told to move their cars so the snow removal guys can get to plowing. The Association won't plow if there is just one car in front of the garage space. The one neighbor(s) never moves their car. Therefore, the snow remains. Even when the snow is melting, their spot remains icy, which is where I may walk to take the trash out, etc... I'm just waiting to fall on my apple.

Oh, while I'm at it, safety tips:

Every car that may encounter snow country should be carrying a winter kit, consisting of the following:

* Flashlight and spare batteries
* Booster cables
* Lock de-icer
* A small bottle of gas line antifreeze
* Extra windshield fluid (rated for -40F)
* A snow shovel (a folding shovel is fine)
* Perhaps a liter container of grit of some kind (sand, cat litter, salt, any of these things work well under tires)
* A good window scraper

Having a cell phone along can be a lot of help as well. It's only useful if the battery is charged, though, so hang up and drive.

In addition, if you're travelling in conditions where you may expect considerable snow, each passenger should have appropriate snow clothing.

* Snow pants
* Snow boots
* A good thick jacket
* A wool or flanel sweater
* Long johns
* Pants other than jeans
* Thick mittens, tuque, and scarf

Getting stuck at night is nothing to underestimate. If you should become stranded and are unable to free the car on your own, act as though you will be there for the long haul.

Stay with the car. A stranded car is more visible and draws more attention than pedestrians.

Change into your emergency clothes right away. The less you need to run the car to heat it, the longer your fuel supply will last.

While dry jeans retain a fair amount of heat, wet jeans leech an amazing amount of body heat. They're worse than useless. Wool and flanel retain heat whether they are wet or dry.

Before running the car, check to be sure the exhaust pipe is clear of the snow. Dig it out if you have to. Under no circumstances run the car if the pipe isn't fully clear. If enough carbon monoxide gets trapped under (and thus in the car, you and your passengers will die without ever knowing you're in danger.

Remember that cell phone you brought? No? Well remember it now. The folks at 911 will be glad to pass the message along to whatever rescuers are available.

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Normally, we don't really have to. The wind keeps the snow from building up too much.

What we have now isn't really a threat (unless a roof was already compromised). It's the amount of snow we'd expect to see by end of winter.

This last snowfall was a bit much and a bit early, though. I'm going to have a closer look today, see if the wind is likely to take the snow at all. I'm a bit wary of walking around on the roof in the winter, though; as you say, the pitch is significant.

... But, if we get another couple of storms, there'll be enough snow to be a potential threat to the house. *sigh* More shovelling. Ah well, mustn't get bored, right?

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Is it spring yet? ()

Feel free. We have trails to accomodate showshoes, cross-country skiis, downhill skiis, snowboards, skidoos, sleds of any type, etc. It's all good.

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Nice emergency supply list Moose. I carry all the equipment, except for around here I don't need -40F washer fluid. I don't have all those clothes, but I do carry hat, gloves, etc. and both a good wool blanket and one of the metallized mylar ones, as well as first aid supplies and water.

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I would also add a few of those chemical hand warmers, and a hat. a lot of body heat is radiated from the head.

Of course, I carry all that stuff (except I do jeans, and don't do the ski stuff). I also carry at least one sleeping bag (rated to -60),
TWO highway safety kits (full of first aid stuff, flares, etc)
two shovels (you don't think I'm gonna dig you out on my own, do you?)l
a battery powered lantern,
three flashlights,
2 gallons of water,
a spotlight,
a ton of spare batteries for everything that requires batteries,
two books (if I do get stuck, having something to read would be good),
two cellphones (though I pass one off to the next Mission Coordinater at the end of this month),
three two-way radios, (2 VHF, one 800MHZ - the 400 will be going in this weekend, I hope)
a snatch-strap,
emergency blankets (mylar),
my mars light
and a bundle of 'empty' tags (tie 'em to the door handle/antenna, lets the next searcher know that the vehicle has been checked and was empty)

And I *never* travel anywhere without my Emergency Response Guidebook (a book dealing with HazMat rules - lets you know what's (supposed to be) inside that truck, based on the plackards on the outside) Order your copy at 800.327.6868 or www.jjkeller.com.
Rule of thumb. If you roll up on an accident involving a truck (particularly a tanker or UPS) stay far enough back/upwind/uphill that you can cover the whole scene with your thumb. Let the blue canaries go in first.

edit: I forgot to mention - that's in my POV. The 4x4 has even more cool stuff

Bah, our record this year was about 1/2 a metre of snow, and it's all melting already. That, coupled with the fact that it would take both Hell and High Water acting at the same time to stop the city transportation means that there were no snow days for us. (However, the high school in the less built-up part of the city (As in, it's in city limits, but its the only building for about a kilometre) has had a snow day on every Friday for the past 4 or so weeks).

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Oh, while I remember, Mak. I spoke to my father last night. He said not to bother. The roofing's going to be redone in the spring in any case. Anything I did up there to clear the snow would just cause leaking much faster than just leaving it all up there to begin with.

Just as well, I was not looking forward to going up there.

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We got rain. Four days worth of rain.

Normally I'm not a fan of snow, but I was sorta hoping to get at least on romp in a drift, or one day out with my sled before I had to head back to school.

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