MiKE: So distracting...

So, I'm sitting here, trying to finish my last paper so that I can finally take a break. And I've spent so much time looking out the window; perhaps because it is bright outside, with daylight, even through the thick clouds. But mostly because there is a huge snowstorm going on outside. And it is really interesting to watch. Yes, part of the attraction is due to my having not seen a snowstorm before, but I think the other is that the snowfall is so interesting. It'd be wispy powder one moment, falling gently as if someone were dusting icing sugar from the roof, then I'd hear the whistle of the wind in the tiny gap I left in the window to cool the room down somewhat, and then I'd look out and see the wind whip the snow till the trails fall almost horizontally. Then, the flakes falling would suddenly change size to huge almost pellet-sized chunks, and fall at the speed where one would expect rain to fall. There would be gusts, and amid the large flakes that fall, one would see the snow dust being swept up in vortices accompanying the large flakes, appearing as if there were multiple turbulent air streams outside my window. Suddenly, the wind will stop, and the flakes would all hang in midair, wondering what to do before remembering, cartoon character style, that it was supposed to fall down. All in all, mesmerizing.

And not to mention almost human drama of seeing cars stuck by the side of the road. There was this one car, that parked for a while by the kerb. When he wanted to set off, all he could do was to make his front wheel spin aimlessly in the snow-ice. He kept trying and trying, coming out, desperately pushing the snow away from under the front tyre with his shoes, and some small implement which was evidently unsuitable for the job, until someone offered to lend him a snow shovel, and I watched him clear the snow from in front of the car, pausing once in a while to stuff his frozen fingers into his jacket pockets, then continuing to shovel furiously, pausing to go back into the car to try again, failing to gain traction, shoveling again, and then finally managing to move his car out.

The snowstorm is really heavy, starting yesterday around noon, it was on and off, and got really heavy this morning. Apparently, even Environment Canada has issued warnings, predicting up to 40cm snowfalls over the weekend, windspeed during gusts at up to 90 km/h, and suggestions that it could be the worst storm in this region for 60 years. No kidding; I woke up this morning to see snow lodged between the inner and outer sliding windows, and they had been closed overnight(!):


Looking out, during the heavier snowfall period, it's clear visibility has been seriously obscured:


If i manage to shoot a picture of severe whiteout conditions, I'll post it up here.

The Environment Canada Warning:

Warnings

City of Toronto
11:15 AM EST Sunday 16 December 2007
Winter storm warning for
City of Toronto continued

A major winter storm with heavy snow and blowing snow occurring over all of southern and eastern Ontario.

This is a warning that dangerous winter weather conditions are imminent or occurring in these regions. Monitor weather conditions..Listen for updated statements.



At mid morning a massive winter storm was giving snow and blowing snow to all of southern and eastern Ontario. Some places such as Toronto were also reporting thunder and lightning.

The low responsible for the storm now lies over Lake Erie. It will track slowly eastward across New York state today then accelerate off the northeast tonight.

The snow associated with the storm is forecast to end over the Windsor area this evening, most of southern Ontario during the night, and early Monday morning over extreme eastern Ontario.

Further amounts of 10 to 15 centimetres are expected over most of southern Ontario but with higher amounts likely over portions of Niagara where winds off Lake Ontario will enhance the snowfall.

Over eastern Ontario further amounts of 20 to 30 centimetres are expected.

In the wake of the main storm northwesterly squalls will develop off Lake Huron this evening then continue into Monday morning before weakening. This will delay the end of the stormy conditions over areas to the southeast of Lake Huron until Monday.