Monstrous Lake Effect Snow Squalls & Snow Emergency

Lake Huron/Georgian Bay Region - Ontario, Dec. 2009

A wild snow storm followed by several days of intense lake effect snow completely paralyze parts of Ontario. The amount of snow that actually came down has been estimated at up to 4 to 6 feet!!

This was a multi-day event for me. I initially targeted Gravenhurst on the 10th of December and the snow squalls were intense, but little did I know that it would get even worse over the next 2 days. In total, I made 3 trips from Toronto up to the snow belt areas that were downwind of Lake Huron & Georgian Bay. A snow emergency was declared by some of the local communities and all the north/south highways were shut down.

Gravenhurst - Dec 10, 2009

Heavy accumulation and snow blowing sideways on my way to Gravenhurst	The town of Gravenhurst in the middle of the snow storm. After I left, the snow really cranked up overnight.

The blinding snow made for terrible driving conditions.	A snowbank in Gravenhurst. This was before the bulk of the snow came down!

Closed Highways - Dec 11, 2009

Due to the incredible snowfall overnight, I attempted to drive back into the hardest hit areas the next day, but it was SO bad that all the highways were closed down.	Waiting on a closed section of highway 400. I was trapped here for over 2 hours, along with hundreds of other motorists.

An OPP officer, winding his way through the stranded vehicles.	I was eventually able to circle back and head south. North of this roadblock, visibility was zero.

MacTier - Dec 13, 2009

After allowing a day for the road crews to plow the roads, I returned, yet again to the areas that reported the worst snowfall. this time I made it through.	In the town of MacTier. Locals believe that up to 6 feet of snow may have fallen here. It is hard to tell due to the compressing of the snow that had happened over the past 2 days.

Buried vehicles in MacTier.	I think this property is for sale.

Huge snow drifts in MacTier.	Some residents were still without power, even 2 days after the worst of the snow came down.

Road crews had difficulty finding places to put all the snow. Sidewalks were impassible.	Huge icicles hang down from the second floor, almost to the ground!

Hidden Intersection is an understatement. The giant snow banks made it almost impossible to spot any of the intersections.	More buried vehicles in MacTier. I hope they didn't leave their snow brush inside the car.

Bracebridge - Dec 13, 2009

On to Bracebridge, another of the hardest hit areas.	An entire lot of cars has been transformed into mysterious lumps of snow.

The Ford dealership in Bracebridge. I don't think they sold any cars today. It's hard to tell if they even had cars there.	As I would walk around taking photos, I'd often sink down waist deep, or deeper.

Minden - Dec 13, 2009

On the road to Minden where they received about 120 cm of snow. That's about 4 feet.	The cemetery outside of Minden.

More cars completely covered in snow - Minden.	The occasional antenna or rearview mirror would be the only clue that cars were there.

Obviously, a LOT of compacting of the snow has occurred. I can only imagine what it looked like right after it all came down.	Luckily, the plows had been through, otherwise the roads would have been completely impassable.

A pretty foot bridge in Minden.	River scene in Minden.

 

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