I've noticed two interesting responses to my snow pictures. People either long for snow, or they are relieved not to have to deal with it anymore. Trish expressed disappointment to my news that this does not happen very much around here. For those of you unfamiliar with the Vancouver area, here are a few thoughts.
In winter, our temperatures might get close to freezing, but rarely dip below freezing, and then it's just below and doesn't last for very long. We might get one or two snowfalls in a season, or a few more, but the snow usually melts quickly or gets rained away. We rarely get more than an inch or so, and it can disappear the same day it arrives. Snow usually turns into rain. I have experienced far more wet/green Christmases than white ones. A truly white Christmas is very rare indeed. I have gone outside on Christmas day in a t-shirt and light jacket on occasion. Many people go golfing.
Northern British Columbia gets more snow, and the ski mountains get snow that can last all season. Last year I remember only two brief snowfalls that lasted less than a day. The snow we got yesterday broke a record from fifty years ago for this time of the year (November). The other unusual thing is that it has frozen onto everything. It snowed yesterday, and everything is STILL white. The temps are going to be very cold for us (-5 to -12 Celsius) for the next three days. That will mean lots of broken trees and branches, lots of driving mishaps, and lots of power outs.
I can see the park in the above two pictures from my family room window. The field is normally green and grassy all year round. People play soccer on the field all through the winter.
Many people don't like to drive in the snow because our streets are so hilly and slippery. A slush layer can form on top of, or underneath the ice. I drove all over the place today because no one was about. I even went to my chiropractor about half an hour away. His office had no power, so he treated me by candlelight.
That is the mailbox on our cul-de-sac. My HUGe box did not arrive today. Sigh...
Many Canadians move to Vancouver to get away from the snow. We have some of the mildest winter weather in Canada. Most Vancouverites are quite happy to see the snow go away.
3 comments:
Your winters sound like ours in Tennessee. We are lucky to get one or two snows a season and it doesn't last more than a day or two. Schools will call OFF school if there is a PREDICTION of snow! People around here don't know how to drive in it, either! But, it sure is pretty to look at!
Snow! Some years we get lots of snow east of the mountains, but lately it's been mostly in the mountains. I like it to fall in the mountains! But Colorado is getting the cold wave that hit you in a day or two, and it's supposed to dump inches and inches in our high country, that's where the ski resorts are. Early snows damage the trees a lot. Hope yours are okay.
Places like Vancouver that aren't used to getting much snow are also usually not equipped to clear the roads very quickly. I used to live in Seattle, and the rumor was they owned 4 snowplows for the entire greater Seattle area, which meant it could be days before our street was cleared, and they never got around to plowing the smaller roads. I was impressed by how quickly Vancouver plowed the minor roads in this particular storm. They did a better job than in the last big snowstorm we had, if I recall. But they still don't plow the street I live on, because it's too narrow and crowded with cars parked on both sides. So we've got tire tracks down the middle to drive in. Here's a picture.
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