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Weather or Not! We live in a very interesting area, in terms of weather and climate. Because of our high altitude and location with respect to the Great Lakes, we experience extremes that aren't common in the rest of southern Ontario. We can see temperatures of -35C in winter and +35C in summer. Day-to-day temps can vary by +/-15C or more! Wind is a big factor here too, with gusts often exceeding 100km/h and we often have steady winds for extended periods. We're in the middle of Southern Ontario's "snow belt" so we get socked in the winter, sometimes seeing as much as 3 feet of snow in just 24 hours. Summer, on the other hand, can be intense, giving us several days of +30C temps in a row. Storms, in winter or summer, can be close to frightening. We often lose power here and need our own generator to get us through any outages. Winter here can seem very long. The first snow often flies by late October and it's usually early April before it disappears. January and February are the toughest months but December and March can be brutal some years. Below is an early winter pic - by February, the cedar rail fence is usually buried.  Snow squalls are responsible for most of the white stuff we get. Cold arctic air flowing over the unfrozen Great Lakes (especially Lake Huron) picks up moisture which gets deposited inland in the form of heavy snow. It's not uncommon for us to get as much as 5cm (2") per hour for many hours in a row. Sometimes it's tough to keep up with it.   "Dad, it's falling faster than I can shovel!"  From April to October, we have other concerns. Severe winds and thunderstorms can appear in an instant, and we live in Ontario's 'tornado alley'. When the sky looks like the pic below, you know it's time to head for shelter!  Mother Nature can destroy many years of her own work in just seconds around here. 
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