• DaddleDew@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    30
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    21 days ago

    Because of its geographical location, the city of Toronto normally enjoys a particularly mild climate.

    In 1999, it declared a state of emergency and called the military to help clearing the snow after a pityful 40 cm snowfall.

    The city was widely mocked by the rest of the country for such an overreaction over what everyone else saw as just an average snow day.

    • ArtieShaw@fedia.io
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      13
      ·
      21 days ago

      I guess 40cm could have been the city-wide or regional average, but in the neighborhood where I lived it was closer to a meter. I remember the digging that I needed to do to get out of our basement apartment.

      And speaking generally, with no suburban style mall parking lots or wide roadway shoulders, there was nowhere to put it.

      And just my conspiracy theory here, but I suspect that TO’s shady storm water and sewage system may have also played a role. In the early 20th and late 19th centuries, the answers to sewage management was to bury streams flowing into Lake Ontario. The answer to the problem: “this river is an open sewer” was “cover it over.” That’s part of the reason why there are foul, poo-like odors that linger in certain areas (I’m thinking of Christie Pits and Little Italy, but there are others).

      • MutilationWave@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        edit-2
        21 days ago

        I used to live in a mild climate river city in West Virginia. Climate change was becoming reality but hardly anyone called it that those days. The city sold the majority of its snow clearing equipment and the very next year we got a few feet dumped on us. They ended up pushing the snow into the river.

        I’m still in WV and it’s 19F right now fuck my life.

        • ArtieShaw@fedia.io
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          20 days ago

          I’m in southern Ohio and I’m sharing in your 19F pain right now. My husband was wondering why I spent last week weatherstripping our windows and putting up some of that Frost King film on the others. We’re both glad I saw the forecast in advance.

          We usually just get one or two cold snaps in January or February. This weather is unusual within the last 10-15 years.

          • MutilationWave@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            20 days ago

            Oh yeah any climate change denier over the age of 20 makes me insane. Like, you don’t remember how things were in your childhood versus now? We used to get so much snow. Now we get three inches roughly three times a year.

            Good looking out on the prep, I hope it saves you a lot of money. I have so many layers on right now.

            • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOPM
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              20 days ago

              Love the lack of insect swarms year-round. Hate the lack of fireflies in summer.

              What a bizarre thing to lose.

              • MutilationWave@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                2
                arrow-down
                1
                ·
                20 days ago

                Where I’m at the mosquitos are fucking thriving. I spend a lot of my free time sitting on my front porch. They eat me up, and I have a severe reaction to them. Most of the cool insects are gone.