(Photo of snowbank in Toronto from Flickr and photographer Joe Nicholl)
Xtreme Weather Watch: Don’t let anyone tell you all the snow this winter is proof there’s no global warming! As eastern Canada nears a record snowfall, average temperatures in the country are slightly warmer than usual and spring flowers have bloomed on the west coast for several weeks. Ottawa has had more than 13 feet so far and the most recent 20 inches nearly shut it down, as there was no place left to dump the snow. Toronto and Montreal were hit by a 2-phase storm a week ago, adding 20 and 16 inches respectively. One reason it’s still warm is the storms came from the U.S. Midwest, not the Arctic. While the east dug out, Vancouver on the west coast, was 50 degrees F. (See PlanetArk, 3/11)
Etc.: The death toll in Madagascar from Cyclone Ivan is up to 93, officials report, and more than 300,000 people are without homes. Madagascar is prone to cyclones Feb.-May, but last year was the worst on record, when 6 storms killed 150. Some suspect warming seas have made the problem worse. (PlanetArk, 3/10)
Fierce storms battered the UK, France and Spain last week. England, Wales and Northern Island were thrashed for 3 days by rain, some snow, and winds up to 80 mph. On the Spanish Basque coast, waves reached a high of 26 feet. A trawler sank near the island of Guernsey in 70-mph winds. (PlanetArk, 3/11, 3/12,3/13)
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