Winter weather!
Last week during the first snowfall, I was definitely excited... I am not sure if its the small town, northern girl coming out in me, or if I just enjoy a change of pace during a rather stressful and disenchanting month.
The first snowfall put a twinkle in my eye... but after a week of driving in various snow squalls/storms, the twinkle is long gone, and my disgust for winter driving is now at the forefront.
Road conditions in the winter are never predictable, and although the weather men and women of this country do a good job trying to predict what the roads will be like, Jack Frost and his buddies up above, obviously have a mind of their own.
Take for instances this morning.... I exit my house to greet the chilly temperature of -9 degrees. The sky was grey, yet the roads were clear and ready for a quick and speedy trip to the office.
3 minutes into the drive, on my back road venture, snow starts falling at a rather rapid rate, the flakes are thick, and covering the ground instantly. As I merge onto the 417, traffic is backed up, and travelling at 20 km/h. The roads quickly become snow packed, and the ploughs are arriving to clear the way. 15 minutes into the drive, its practically white out. I am nervously gripping the wheel as I come to a 4-way stop just off the exit. As I turn the corner, snow turns to freezing rain, and I am gliding to the next 4-way stop, along with neighbouring commuters. Finally we all managed to come to a stop with absolutely no control of our vehicles, but nonetheless stopped.
Luckily, there are no fender benders on our part, yet the traffic report reveals there are dozens throughout the rest of the city. The freezing rain then becomes just rain, and turns into a downpour. I pull into the office 15 minutes late due to the extra-slow moving traffic, and the rain has stopped, while the sun is trying to peak out from behind the clouds.
This is Canada in November folks, welcome to the nation's capital!
The first snowfall put a twinkle in my eye... but after a week of driving in various snow squalls/storms, the twinkle is long gone, and my disgust for winter driving is now at the forefront.
Road conditions in the winter are never predictable, and although the weather men and women of this country do a good job trying to predict what the roads will be like, Jack Frost and his buddies up above, obviously have a mind of their own.
Take for instances this morning.... I exit my house to greet the chilly temperature of -9 degrees. The sky was grey, yet the roads were clear and ready for a quick and speedy trip to the office.
3 minutes into the drive, on my back road venture, snow starts falling at a rather rapid rate, the flakes are thick, and covering the ground instantly. As I merge onto the 417, traffic is backed up, and travelling at 20 km/h. The roads quickly become snow packed, and the ploughs are arriving to clear the way. 15 minutes into the drive, its practically white out. I am nervously gripping the wheel as I come to a 4-way stop just off the exit. As I turn the corner, snow turns to freezing rain, and I am gliding to the next 4-way stop, along with neighbouring commuters. Finally we all managed to come to a stop with absolutely no control of our vehicles, but nonetheless stopped.
Luckily, there are no fender benders on our part, yet the traffic report reveals there are dozens throughout the rest of the city. The freezing rain then becomes just rain, and turns into a downpour. I pull into the office 15 minutes late due to the extra-slow moving traffic, and the rain has stopped, while the sun is trying to peak out from behind the clouds.
This is Canada in November folks, welcome to the nation's capital!
Labels: weather
posted by SC at 9:29 PM
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