Why does is seem that all weather events this season HAVE to be epic or nothing?
Here at the shop we are reviewing forecasts for the start and conditions of the upcoming snowfall. This does take a spoonful of translation. When the weather app states "high winds" but further down says 30-40 km/hr... that isn't actually all that impressive. It's the predicted volume of snow that is to fall that makes us heave a sigh. So far The Weather Network is predicting ~15cm of snow, that's just under half a foot (although Canada wwants to follow the metric system, realistically who mentally envisions depths in centimetres?).
Their timeline also predicts that it will be done falling by Thursday morning. That's good news for us - it means that although we will likely be out all Wednesday afternoonn into Wednesday night, we should be able to start the residential properties early Thursday morning. We have to wait until the snow stops before we can start our residential property lists, as commercial businesses often have people coming and going and need to be kept clear throughout the snow fall.
A lot of the crew have today off in preparation for tomorrow. It will be a long, cold, day. We split up into teams and tackle certain areas; some go to Port Dover, some stay in Simcoe, and then we have a few properties in Delhi. Preparation involves cooking meals so that they bring lunches/snacks with them, rounding up any snow wear - including hi-vis safety wear, hats, gloves/mitts and long underwear! Boots are manditory, with safety boots a requirement if they are driving machines/plows.
Last snow fall I was unable to find my proper snow gloves and by golly did I regret it! I used a pair of leather gloves I have, and luckily since it was after the snow had finished and the temperatures were reasonable (-1 to 1 C), I was able to manage; but this time I will be more ready!
At least this snow fall is not during the holidays, and actually during the week is better for us. It breaks into our family time less, and also removes any question as to whether our commercial clients are open or not. We often send out an email prior to a big snowfall to double check, but this round we do not think it is necessary - we will be able to follow our priority lists as they are and not doubt hours of operation.
Snow may be coming, but we will be ready!
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