Home

Galleries

News/Blog

Technology

Media

Bio

Links

The Weather Network

Canadian Winter Weather Expedition

Jan/Feb 2012

Stormhunters
Coast To Coast To Coast

 

Crossing the vastness of Canada to film winter weather for new episodes of "Stormhunters" on The Weather Network.

 

Mark Robinson (Meteorologist at The Weather Network & host of Stormhunters) and George Kourounis (Global adventurer & host of TV's Angry Planet) are teaming up and getting ready to embark on what is certain to be an epic adventure that will take them across the country, from the Atlantic, to the Pacific, then up to the Arctic Ocean.

Leg One - Atlantic Coast Nor'easters - We will fly out last minute to the east coast (likely Halifax, Nova Scotia) to document the intense winter storms that pummel the maritime provinces. These coastal storms start in the south, then barrel up the U.S. Eastern Seaboard and often slam into Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, bringing plenty of snow, high winds and travel chaos.
 
 
Leg Two - The Great Lakes - After returning to our home base in Toronto, we will be documenting the extreme snowfalls that can happen in the Great Lakes when frigid Arctic air passes over the relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes. We've been chasing these lake effect snow squalls for years and the danger of these weather events cannot be over-stated. Visibility can drop to zero and the roads simply vanish from sight in the areas downwind of the lakes.
 
 
Leg Three - The Long Haul - At the end of January, we depart Toronto again, but this time heading west, traveling north of Lake Superior and across the vastness of the Canadian Prairies where the temperature plummets and wind chill values make for hazardous conditions. You think it gets cold in Minnesota? Well up here, it's the next level of cold.
 
 
Leg Four - The Rockies - As we continue our journey, just west of Calgary we'll catch our first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains where we'll be doing winter survival training (think: sleeping in a snow cave in the mountains), meeting with avalanche experts and a few other surprise adventures. We'll eventually make it all the way through the mountain passes to Vancouver where we'll finally meet up with the mighty Pacific Ocean.
 
 
Leg Five - North to the Arctic Circle - We turn north and drive up the spine of the Rocky Mountains, traversing the entire length of British Columbia, into the Yukon Territory where we will continue north to the frontier town of Dawson City, or last stop before tackling the Dempster Highway where the northern lights will hopefully be putting on a spectacular show. As we continue even further north on the Dempster, we'll eventually cross into the Northwest Territories and pass the Arctic Circle to the end of the road in Inuvik.
 
 
Leg Six -The Ice Road - Our adventure does not stop at the end of the Dempster Highway. From Inuvik we'll be driving on the notorious Ice Road which is the only way to continue north. The winter-only road is built on the frozen Mackenzie river and parts of the Arctic Ocean and will eventually lead us to or final destination of Tuktoyaktuk, the farthest north that it is possible to drive to in Canada. We will be so far north that we'll actually be in Polar Bear territory.

The Route

The Ultimate Canadian Winter Road Trip 2012