I have lived on this planet for over 70 years, never mind how “over”. For the first 50 years my experiences with weather based emergencies were negligible with the worst being caught in a rainstorm the day I received an Afro perm only to see it disappear in a wet, smelly, soupy mess. Sure I had heard about global warming but sadly I chose to ignore the warnings from those “Environmental Alarmists”. Living in Canada, a few degrees rise in global temperatures did not seem like a big deal.
Much changed over the next 23 years with weather based events occurring with a frequency that has become frightening. My work has often brought me face to face with the consequences. In 1990, my office was flooded with a foot of water after a rain storm which lasted no more than 20 minutes but dropped more rain then any other recorded event. In 1994, the Garnet Fire burned 55 square kilometres, destroyed 18 homes and forcing more than 4,000 Penticton residents to flee their homes. I was on call 24/7 for ten days registering and dealing with displaced citizens, finding food and accommodation or locating people for distant family who were unable to contact their loved ones. Wild fires in the Okanagan have become an annual event. Not so much “If they will happen” but “When they will happen”.
Flash forward to the winter of 2025 and my introduction to an “Ice Storm”, a new experience. An ice storm also known as a glaze event or a silver storm is a winter storm that is characterized by freezing rain..
The formation of ice begins with a layer of above-freezing air above a layer of sub-freezing temperatures closer to the surface. Frozen precipitation melts to rain while falling into the warm air layer, and then begins to refreeze in the cold layer below. If the precipitate refreezes while still in the air, it will land on the ground as sleet. Alternatively, the liquid droplets can continue to fall without freezing, passing through the cold air just above the surface. This thin layer of air then cools the rain to a temperature below freezing (0 °C or 32 °F). However, the drops themselves do not freeze, a phenomenon called supercooling (or forming "supercooled drops"). When the supercooled drops strike ground or anything else below 0 °C (32 °F) (e.g. power lines, tree branches, aircraft), a layer of ice accumulates as the cold water drips off, forming a slowly thickening film of ice, hence freezing rain. Wikipedia.org
Our experience began innocently enough with a planned trip to the Centre of Canada for some time with our grand-kids. During these trips we always plan a few days of “Us Time” and on this trip we were going to spend a few days exploring the city of Kingston and the area known as the “Thousand Islands”. Weather forecasts were to be damp but hey “We won’t melt”. Sadly Kingston was a bust as our timing was bad and all the things we wanted to see were closed for the season. I was especially sad that the Prison museum was closed. So it is now fodder for a future blog. But it did give us more time to explore the Thousand Islands region.
The 1000 Islands (pronounced “Thousand Islands,” not “One Thousand Islands”) is a sightseer’s paradise and a popular destination for those looking for an authentic outdoor vacation. Located along the peaceful border between northern New York State (USA) and southeastern Ontario (Canada), the 1000 Islands is a region of endless shorelines, rich history and unique culture.
Vacationers have been coming to the 1000 Islands (there are actually 1,864 of them) for more than 150 years to enjoy its breathtaking beauty. More than 50 miles of waters that were once patrolled by pirates (yes … pirates!) and Prohibition bootleggers are now cruised by cottagers who enjoy serene bays and vacationers who tour aboard guided trips and hear the astonishing stories behind the islands. visit1000islands.com
Photo: artofit.org
With the whole day ahead of us we headed to the town of Gananoque, a half an hour drive from Kingston. We spent an hour exploring the town finishing with a lovely lunch at Laverne's Eatery in their 100+ year old restaurant. From Gananoque we would access the Thousand Islands Parkway. The parkway is a scenic drive along the St. Lawrence River and the hundreds of islands along the way. Without being able to see and visually count them all, I am unable to confirm there are actually more than 1,864 islands.
Located along the St. Lawrence River, the Gananoque and Thousand Island region is one of the most beautiful and unique destinations in North America. It is home to two UNESCO recognized sites. The area is known for it's famous castles and cottages, shipwrecks, the War of 1812 historic sites, festivals, theatres and casino. It has an abundance of natural beauty, rocky shorelines, sandy beaches, captivating rural pastures and of course a myriad of islands. destinationontario.com Photo:Landsby.ca
Along the way we discovered ferries that would transport us to some of the larger, more populated islands. The drive provided lots of scenic stops with views of the St. Lawrence. A very brisk, cold wind made our stops brief. Back to Kingston for the night. While enjoying our free breakfast buffet, (Are they really free?) we got into a discussion with the attendant who told us about the upcoming ice storm forecast for Ontario later today. She warned us to make sure we had an ice scraper handy as we would need it to break into our car. Based on the 12C ambient temperature and the huge amount of sunshine streaming through the windows of the breakfast room, we listened intently but with a hidden skepticism.
It is a two and a half hour drive to Peterborough from Kingston. As we neared Peterborough there was a marked change in the weather. Heavy dark clouds were accumulating with a noticeable drop in the temperature. By the time we reached Peterborough temperatures had dropped to 6C with a slight drizzle. We woke up the next morning to a different world, One that looked right out of a certain Disney movie and one where I wished we had listened to the breakfast lady about keeping that ice scraper handy. Our rental car was completely covered by a thin coat of ice.
The rain continued to fall for much of the day. We did get a chance to go out for an icy walk and explore our new environment. A close examination of the trees in the neighbourhood showed the icy rain had begun coating the branches giving them a decided droopy look.
The ice rain continued on and off throughout the night. We woke to our rental car now covered by a quarter inch of ice and icicles that touched the ground. The outside stairs were a skating rink requiring carabiners and ice axes to descend to street level. The side walks were not much better but thanks to the City of Peterborough's use of a salt solution, the streets were mostly wet.
Using the wet streets when we could and avoiding sidewalks, we carefully toured the neighbourhood to discover many of those droopy trees from yesterday were now laying on the ground, their trunks split in half. Our family tree lost only one branch but the next door neighbours lost most of their tree as it had split in half.
A closer look at the limbs showed at least a ½ inch layer of ice now coating them. It was this added weight that caused the trees to split. In some cases the entire tree just toppled or larger branches broke off. Many of them landing on electrical wires, hence the power outages. At one point 80,000 people were without power.
We experienced a short power outage early in the morning then another in the afternoon. This one would last for the next 20 hours. We were lucky to find a Greek restaurant that was outside of the affected areas and serving up Souvlaki. It was to be the feast for our 50th wedding anniversary dinner. After dinner entertainment was a candle lit game of Monopoly before going to bed early. The lack of a night-light made my trips to the bathroom some what painful that night and I couldn't remember where I stashed my cell phone.
The next day brought relief from the ice rain, it had now just become rain and we woke up to power thanks to the fact that the neighbourhood has underground services. I hesitated to use the scraper to remove the ice from the car doors as it was a rental and did not want to risk scratching it. Luckily with some gentle, well placed taps the ice slid off in large sheets. The sun had came out so we took the grand-dog out for a much needed walk.
Not for long as the walking path became a bit of a shit show. Drove the poor grand-dog crazy as he tried to pee on everything that hadn't been there yesterday.
We left to visit other family the next day in wonderful sunshine and temperatures in the double digits. But Mother Nature was not done with us. That afternoon we were hit by a loud thunderstorm and an unexpected snow/hail storm that covered the ground with an inch of sleety soup. I think it is time to go home.
There is a whole other blog that could be written about living without power and the internet. Not going to as it is too painful a memory.
I have attached a link below to a Global report on the ice storm. If is still active, check it out for the full story.
Peterborough and area reeling after major ice storm | Watch News Videos Online
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