Someone just posted about the floods in Peterborough, and that reminded me I was going to posts some images from the Edmonton storms.

One of our members posted these up.

Some have seen these images, if so I apologise.They are quite amazing.

Here`s two, the rest can be found here along with more information on the storm itself.

http://www.maritimesweather.com/foru...?showtopic=266

http://www.maritimesweather.com/foru...?showtopic=265

That is scary stuff, look at how that car is submerged in that icy water, I just hope there was no one in it at the time. The pictures from Peterborough were kind of similar to these too, with basements being flooded and belongings being damaged.

Someone asked me if that was ice and snow

Several feet of hail, combined with near 200mm of rain does that. They actually used snow ploughs to shift the hail

Just visited your site and the link you posted, some scary and beauty pics ( oxymoron ), I must say. We are glad we live in Ontario, but then again we do have little tornadoes here and there every now and then, like the one near London and startford Ontario last month.

Here are more pics from your link:

http://www.xdude.com/forums/july11storm.htm

A general question.....In Alberta,( considering the weather there) is it preferable to buy a 4WD SUV rather than a car....as a heavier vehicle will be more stabe on icy slippery roads?

Cheers.

Well, considering I live in one of the snowiest cities in Canada, we managed fine with a car. As long as you use common sense. Many a time during a 70cm storm I`ve looked out of the window and see people getting stuck in the road in a tiny Honda Civic.

I wonder where the hell could they be going that is so important, when everything is closed...... Tim Hortons

That`s stupidity I`m afraid. I used to go out and help push these people, but in end I thought screw them. They are advised not to go out, they block the roads, then the plough can`t get around

Back on topic, we now have a Chevvy Blazer, which is great in the snow. We got it purely for the room, and work. Most cars over here weigh more than UK cars.

Cars are fine in the snow, as long as common sense is applied I guess. Don`t forget the tire (tyre) change though!

Tires are the most important thing. AWD or 4WD are definite advantages.

Given the choice I'd take an AWD Audi.

The laws of physics create certain problems for heavier vehicles. The thing with snow and ice is if you cant get going, its not a life threatening situation, If you cant stop it is. A heavy vehicle has a lot of momentum. :scared: If you get a heavy vehicle stuck in a snowbank you will need a tow to get it out, which could take a while if everyone else is stuck in the snow in the same storm. If you get a Honda Civic in a snowbank, your passenger / wife / child can probably push you out

I know its not a popular view at the moment, but SUVs are a menace. They are top heavy, making them less manouverable and more likely to overturn, they are gas pigs, and they are several times more likely to kill any pedestrian they hit than a "normal" vehicle. In most cases they are not even that much more spacious that a station wagon, and the ride quality is worse that a car on the highway, which is where they spend 99.9% of their time anyway. Oh, and they block the forward view of anyone stuck behind one, which is why everyone and there mother is rushing out to buy them, just so they can see past the one in front! The makers cannot believe their luck, as they can sell as $30k truck for $40k. One report I read said Ford make 40% profit on a lincoln navigator!

As calgary says though, decent tires are more important than the vehicle type in the winter. Also remember that although 4WD or AWD is great to get you going, it is of extremely limited benefit when trying to stop, so take it easy in the snow.

Iain

BTW, Fantastic pics...I'll take my chances with an Ontario Tornado over hail like that any day of the week!

I'm with Iaink on this. SUVs and trucks don't really buy you any extra mobility, except in very deep snow. Road clearing is quite aggressive in Canada, so unless you're planning on driving up logging roads or something, you're unlikely to encounter this situation often.

The most common dangerous situation I see is a thin layer of compacted, greasy snow on roadways some time after the plow has been by. Heavy snow is quite a bit safer.

Glare ice is also dangerous but less common, since a bit of salt melts it.

In both these situations, an SUV or truck won't help you one bit. What will help is a set of four winter tires. "All-seasons" are not as good, and worn-out all-seasons are frightening. ABS and electronic stability control are probably good bets, and a manual transmission is easier to control in low-traction conditions than an automatic.

RWD pick-ups and sports cars are difficult to control in snow.

If your province allows it (everywhere but Ontario), you might look into studded winter tires, which improve traction on glare ice.

The most significant issue in Calgary is not compacted snow, it is raw sheet ice.

Snow is cleared very effectively in town, leaving a slick sheet of ice on the road, which gets worse because temperatures fluctuate so much in that part of the world during the course of the day.

There is no magic solution to it. Driving at speed will result in loss of control no matter what. But real winter tires can make a tremendous difference.

I would say the only benefit of an SUV is that when the SUV bounces the curb then at least you won't have to replace the wheels because the tires are so big. I ruined a set of wheels on a car I had when I slid into the curb.

bear in mind SUVs have a serious problem with tipping as well so depending on the SUV and how it is being driven you could find going over a problem when hitting obstacles like high kurbs or losing control in a skid.

Calgary earlier this week...

Scary stuff, imagine having your house hit by that !

There's nothing like watching a thunderstorm roll in off the prairies, it's an impressive site.

Nice picture, if not a rather silly comment by the paper!!