ReNe: snowstorms

In addition to the snowstorm last Friday, which apparently dumped 20cm of snow, there was another storm last night, a mix of snow, ice pellets and icy rain, that dumped another 5-10cm of snow. (Sounds like a lot but the snow melts quickly.) More snow is expected later this afternoon, about another 15cm worth.

Schools are closed, some public transport routes are not running, and the office is now pretty quiet. About half of the people do not seem to be around, and those that did come in came in came in later than usual. The same thing happened during last Friday's storm.

Fun. Really, it is. I quite like walking through the snow and the city looks especially different with snow. It's not as bad as it sounds, and certainly easier to walk through than a heavy rain storm in Singapore. I've walked through flurries and snowstorms on my commutes to and from work, and unlike getting caught in the rain, most of the snow falls off when you're moving, and it is easy enough to brush off most of it once you reach your destination.

To me, it's a very novel feeling -- the city slowing down due to the weather. Singapore Inc. operates around the year; temperatures remain largely the same year-round, and there's no 'natural disasters' and hence no excuse for missing work or even coming in late. Breaks are all planned (i.e. public holidays). It's a well-oiled machine and it, as well as its workers, are not expected to 'break down'. When an ex-colleague was describing the typhoon warning system in HK, where she worked for a while, us Singaporeans were amazed. "And the company lets you go home??"

The not-so-fun bit is the cost... Cleaning up is expensive and guess who pays...

Anyway, some numbers and quotes from the local newspaper (The Star):
Amount budgeted snow removal budget: $67 million
"About halfway through the winter season, the city is at or slightly above its budgeted spending for winter maintenance"
Cost to clean up last Friday's storm (20cm): $3 million
Cost to clean up storm on Dec 16 (30cm): $5 million
Total amount of snow that has fallen on the Toronto area since Nov 1 2007: 98cm