- Most of North America was affected
by the intense storm system that swept across much of the continent
right around Christmas time. This "Bomb Cyclone" (a
low pressure system that intensifies by at least 24 millibars
in 24 hours) caused frigid temperatures, high winds, and some
of the most intense lake-effect snow that places like Buffalo
has ever seen. Thousands of flights were canceled, Christmas
travel plans were disrupted for countless people, and Buffalo,
NY was turned into a frozen disaster area with at least 39 fatalities.
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- Here on the Canadian side of
the Great Lakes, we were also slammed. Most dramatically was
Crystal Beach, Ontario, at the eastern end of Lake Erie. Here,
the intense winds whipped up huge waves, which them sprayed water
onto the lakeshore houses. This spray instantly froze, coating
them in a thick layer of solid ice. The darker colour is from
all the silt and other sediment from the lake that was in the
water. It was truly a surreal experience seeing these frozen
houses. I also went into Fort Erie to investigate the incredible
snow that caused a state of emergency
to be declared.
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