Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Global Warming Watch...Canadian Style

A winter without end

Who'd believe spring is just 11 days away?

Posted By Kim Lunman, Staff Writer

"It's snow joke.

Hold onto your hats, scarves and shovels. Weather forecasters are predicting even more of the white stuff Tuesday after a brief respite today following the weekend's blizzard that blanketed eastern Ontario.

David Rodgers, a senior meteorologist for Environment Canada, said Sunday more snow is coming this way tomorrow and Wednesday, but that the flurries would be more forgiving with only a few centimetres expected to fall.

"It's nothing to be concerned about," said Rodgers.

Residents and city snowplows were still digging out Sunday from the storm that left towering snow banks along city streets and caused hundreds of accidents on regional highways since Friday just in time for the beginning of March break.

The sheer amount of snow and sleet - 32.5 centimetres measured at the city's water pollution control plant - that fell on Brockville over the weekend is taking its tolls on residents ready to retire their shovels.

The northern parts of Leeds and Grenville received 40 to 50 centimetres.

According to Russ Fraser, public works supervisor, that brings this winter's total to 286 centimetres, 200 of that since the start of the year.

"I'm sick of it," shouted Jacquie Boisvert over the noise of snowblowers in her north-end neighborhood on Laurier Blvd.

"I've had it," she said, carrying two shovels into her driveway as husband Dan cleared the sidewalk with a snowblower.

"I've been living here for 10 years and I've never seen so much snow," he said, adding optimistically: "It's starting to melt, so that's good."

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