Warm today - gone tomorrow
Published Wednesday December 10th, 2008
Winter | Settle in for wacky weather
Area residents are in for some messy weather over the next few days.
Fluctuating temperatures mixed with snow, rain and freezing rain are expected to make driving and outdoor activities difficult.
Two to three centimetres of snow fell Tuesday, followed by about an hour of freezing rain in the evening.
Road conditions were snow-covered and icy in some areas of the region, and visibility was poor on some highways due to blowing snow.
Jeremy March, a spokesman with the Atlantic Storm Prediction Centre, said he's not expecting the rest of the week to be any better.
"Temperatures are going to rebound from below freezing into the double digits (by this afternoon)," he said.
"That will be joined by about 20-30 millimetres of rain, so roads and sidewalks will be sloppy."
Brent Grant, acting manager of the city's roads and streets division, said the warm temperatures will help crews clean up some of the mess.
"Freezing rain always makes it tougher for us," Grant said. "But our high-traffic areas are pretty good right now, and we're hoping to get the rest cleaned up during the warmer weather."
The nicer temperatures aren't expected to last.
A cold front is predicted to move into the Fredericton area by Thursday morning.
March said temperatures will drop back down between -6 C and -8 C.
"I have a feeling on Thursday a lot of people's car doors will freeze up," March said.
"Despite the fluctuation in temperatures though, our main concern at the weather office is flooding because of the temperatures going into the double digits briefly (today) followed by a lot of rain - up to 50 mm in some areas. It's something we'll be watching closely."
The weather for later in the week isn't expected to improve. Another weather system is forecast to pass over the Fredericton area Friday with freezing rain and ice pellets.
The Fredericton Police Force is urging motorists to keep the weather in mind while travelling.
Cpl. Mark Lord said police have been watching the forecast and bracing for the chaos that usually accompanies bad weather.
"It wreaks havoc on motorists for some reason," Lord said. "We had a quiet night (on Tuesday), so they handled the snow-packed roads well, and we're hoping the same happens when we get the dirtier weather later this week."
Ross Mathers, general manager of MRDC Operations Corp., said his crew has been working hard at keeping the highways clean between Fredericton and Moncton, but it won't take long for ice and snow to build up.
"It's Maritime weather, so the temperatures are going to fluctuate and we're going to get lots of freezing rain and snow," Mathers said. "We'll do our best to stay ahead of it, but motorists need to do their part. Avoid passing the plows when their lights are flashing ... Ice and snow mean slow.''
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The Mad Ape
www.tatumba.com
For the people that choose to live near flooding rivers, if you don't like the floods get out of the flood zone! You choose your home, so don't complain if you chose to live in the constant threat of floods. That's why I chose high ground.
Luv the use of the word/phase 'bail out'
That deserved a thumbs up !!