Snow storm

[mackiecat]

It was truly a once in a life time storm in Toronto. The snow was coming down so fast at one point 24cm in 3 hours. Not only could the poles not keep up, they were getting stuck too! 540 buses stuck. There is one intersection Yonge and York Mills it is a subway station and near a 401 interchange. This intersection had fairly steep hills in all 4 direction. People were stuck there for hours.

 

[skategal]

I saw something on Facebook yesterday that said:

40 cm of snow in Ontario = National news
40 cm of snow in Newfoundland = Monday

 

[screech]

I saw something on Facebook yesterday that said:

40 cm of snow in Ontario = National news
40 cm of snow in Newfoundland = Monday

I'm originally from Northern Ontario and the amount of snow Toronto got is a bit more common up there. With that amount of snow up north, the plows would have been out at the crack of dawn, most major streets would have been salted within a few more hours, and most people would have been about their business as (relatively) normal. It's amazing how just a few hours away the winter weather infrastructure is so incredibly different.
When I told my boss some of the tricks of the trade that Northerners follow for winter weather, he was surprised - he'd never heard of keeping kitty litter in the trunk of the car to help with tire traction if stuck.

 

[quartz]

In defence of Southern Ontario, there are also millions more cars, trucks, and busses that get in the way and complicate things quite quickly. And most of us don’t have the trusty old skidoo in the back shed to fire up and scoot about when you can’t see the roads anymore.

 

[Aceon6]

I'm originally from Northern Ontario and the amount of snow Toronto got is a bit more common up there. With that amount of snow up north, the plows would have been out at the crack of dawn, most major streets would have been salted within a few more hours, and most people would have been about their business as (relatively) normal. It's amazing how just a few hours away the winter weather infrastructure is so incredibly different.
When I told my boss some of the tricks of the trade that Northerners follow for winter weather, he was surprised - he'd never heard of keeping kitty litter in the trunk of the car to help with tire traction if stuck.

Same in the Boston area ever since the Blizzard of 78 when thousands of drivers were stuck on our inner ring (Rte 128/I-93) overnight. They start before the snow starts and keep going until every main route is down to bare pavement. We’ve recently been warned not to expect normal snow response this year. Between the crud and general worker shortages due to a bunch of political issues best addressed in PI, the state estimates that only 50-70% of routes are covered.

And, for snow virgins, the essentials for any car trip in a major storm are: a full gas tank, shovel, kitty litter or coarse sand, traction device like tire boots or grabber mats, a warm blanket for every person in the car, lots of hand warmers, water and snacks, and a flag or antenna marker that signals that your pile of snow is a car and not a pile of snow. If it’s very cold, some people also bring urine jugs so they don’t have to go outside, but others do their bio break when they check to make sure the tailpipe is clear of snow and ice.

 

[Judy]

No idea if they had snow tires but I doubt it. There are still buses stuck on the street with more snow and freezing temperatures coming today. The Union wants the city to stop all transit services when the weather is predicted to be that bad again. There are some awesome videos coming out of the storm. Saw one with people with shovels trying to dig out a fire truck! LOL There were also no shortage of kids with sleds. Another viral video is of an exhausted little boy trying to clear his driveway. LOL

They don’t manufacture snow tires for the buses. We have the same issue in Ottawa. It’s usually only an issue with storms obviously.

Yes lots of great videos.

 

[Judy]

I saw something on Facebook yesterday that said:

40 cm of snow in Ontario = National news
40 cm of snow in Newfoundland = Monday

So true! ????

 

[once_upon]

but others do their bio break when they check to make sure the tailpipe is clear of snow and ice.

Absolutely need to check and make sure the tailpipes are clear of snow and ice. My mom's cousin's 16 yr old daughter was trapped in a half buried in snow car. The tailpipe was blocked.

Fortunately they found her before she succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning, but she had significant health issues post recovery

(I'm not sure what relationship that would make her to me, but we would see each other at big family gatherings)

 

[Vash01]

deleted

 

[Vash01]

Buzz, are you ok now? I hope you got out of there soon.

 

[once_upon]

That would make her your mom's niece, and your cousin (second cousin).

Not my mom's niece.

My mom's first cousin's daughter, who would be my mom's second cousin.

 

[Vash01]

deleted

 

[Lemonade20]

It's no joke when you get hit with that much snowfall in a short time. We also had about 20-30 cm fall over a couple of days, and it still caused some havoc. Toronto is so populated, and with so many roads to maintain, it can take a while before the main arteries get cleared. Stay safe out there!

 

[skategal]

Is this the thread about the city buses not having snow tires? I was wondering... would having chains be feasible? They are a lot smaller to store!

Our city buses don’t even have snow tires let alone chains and we are in Nova Scotia.

Every winter there are city buses sliding sideways downhills and blocking off entire roads due to snow/ice.

It boggles the mind.

 

[MLIS]

If she is your mom's cousin's daughter, wouldn't she be her niece?

In my family she would be.

Niece would be mom's sibling's daughter (which would make her once_upon's cousin). Mom's cousin's daughter is Mom's first cousin once removed, once_upon's second cousin.

 

[Vash01]

deleted

 

[emason]

Not my mom's niece.

My mom's first cousin's daughter, who would be my mom's second cousin.

No, she would be your mom’s first cousin once removed and your second cousin.

ETA: I see MLIS beat me to it.

 

[Buzz]

Buzz, are you ok now? I hope you got out of there soon.

Thanks! Yeah I am fine now after bouncing around the TTC for 12 hours on Monday I finally made it home. Still anxious about travelling on public transit but everything seems fine now. The only thing that worked on Monday were the trains that ran underground.

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

In my family all cousins -at any level- are like brothers and sisters.

That is not, to my knowledge, the rule of consanguinity in most European culturally-based family relationships - although it may be in your family's heritage.

https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/78th2015/Exhibits/Assembly/JUD/AJUD599G.pdf

 

[MacMadame]

It boggles the mind.

Yes, it does.

Though I guess having more snowplows could make needing snow tires or chains less necessary. There are also "all-weather tires" which can work well enough. I had some on a Honda Civic and when I got caught in a snowstorm in SoCal driving home from the desert through the mountains, I had no issues and even stopped to help some local who was stuck on the side of the road. But I also know how to drive in the snow having grown up in PA where it snows every winter, often with snow in the foot range, not inches.