Icy Weekend!

That was another storm! This time we had the ice rain. The rain poured and stuck to everything.  The poor bird feeders. I could hear the birds wake up as dawn shone a light on everything. 

Note to self: next time shovel the back deck next time. All I did was the path to the rain gauge on Saturday. Sunday, the cylinder was coated in ice.

Sunday morning, I went at it. (There's the green tub that leaks!) 

I began shoveling the deck in order to make room, should I have to pull the BBQ out. You can see the top layer of ice. It's a little shelf.

I measured the ice accretion: 0.5 cm or 5mm. It is awful.

I was up early on Sunday, what me worry? 

   

Around Georgian Bay:

First job, check power outages. They spread across the province, creeping across the path of the ice rain. I've often complained that we are, as Joe says, 'the rock in the river' with precipitation going around us. I am happy for that this weekend. 

Central Ontario Hydro Outages

My friends in Muskoka, as well as the city of Peterborough, have massive downed trees and power lines. 

 This is the Gravenhurst Opera House. We've been many times. 

Gravenhurst, Muskoka

I like their website, as Kingston shows when repairs have been done.

Kingston Power Outages

It just kept on raining. The trees began drooping. This tree branch is our 'canary in the coal mine' as we know there is ice accretion when it touches the ground. We have had a terrible time with our white pine trees and snow or ice accumulation in past years. It has cost us thousands of dollars to have it all cleaned up.

Monday morning they predicted a Colorado Low bringing 15 ℃ temperatures and a grand melt. After that it gets colder. I'll have to remember to empty the water barrels or the water will freeze and split them.

This poor tree! This morning, the ice accretion has been melting, you can hear the drip drip, and crashing of ice chards.

By the afternoon, it was above zero: 1 ℃, and it kept raining on and off. The sidewalk, covered in 5mm ice, melted. The driveway drained away. All my preparations went well. 

My Bala friends tell me they might not have power for a few days. Schools will be closed in lots of districts. They won't get back up on the grid, my friend told us, until Wednesday! 😖

I woke at 5 mm, and heard the ice falling off the roof onto the back deck. I am so happy I knew what it was. We have had a lot of rain this month.

By bedtime last night, lots more without power. This morning that is down slightly.