December 2008 North American snowstorms

The Late December Snowstorms of 2008 were a series of snowstorms that struck across Canada and the US. The snowstorms caused snow to fall across Canada and many parts of the United States, and broke records for the amount of snow accumulated in many cities on Christmas Day.

Canada

The snowstorms caused Canada to have the first "nation-wide" white Christmas since 1971.

British Columbia

Vancouver

The series of snowstorms broke a 44-year old record for the snowiest Christmas ever, with up to 28 inches (71 cm) of snow accumulated in some parts of the South Coast. It was the first white Christmas in Vancouver since 1998.

Fernie

Two avalanches occurred near Fernie, British Columbia, as a result of the snowstorms that dumped approximately 27 inches (69 cm) in the region. The first avalanche buried a group of seven men, and a second avalanche buried a group of four that were trying to help the first group. Three men pulled themselves out of the snow, but six died in the avalanche. Two are still unaccounted for.^[1]

Ontario

Areas of Southern Ontario saw above average snowfall throughout much of December 2008. Areas like Toronto saw over 60 cm (24 in) in December and near Lake Huron and Georgian Bay snowfall amounts were in excess of 100+cm. Many areas near London, Ontario and near the shorelines of Lake Huron had seen above average snowfall as well.

United States

Illinois

Chicago

Thick fog caused by the storms were responsible for flight cancellations in both the Chicago Midway Airport and the US's second busiest airport, O'Hare International Airport. On Friday, December 26, all 82 of the evening flights were canceled. There were also more than 400 flight cancellations at O'Hare. On Saturday the 27th, operations returned to near normal at Midway, although 36 flights were canceled because the aircraft were out of position following Friday's weather problems. There were also more than 100 flights called off Saturday at O'Hare.^[2]

Oregon

Portland

The snowstorms were responsible for the most December snowfall in Portland, Oregon in 40 years^[3] (however, the snowiest December in Portland was 1884, with over 31 inches (79 cm)^[3] of snow). The City of Portland reported spending over $2 million on snow removal, deicing of roads, and employee overtime due to the record levels of snowfall.^[4]

Tri-Met suspended many bus lines, at one point only having 24 of 120 routes running.^[5] Hundreds of flights arriving and departing from Portland International Airport were canceled,^[5] leaving passengers and luggage stranded^{[citation needed]}. Garbage services, privately run in the Portland area, were also canceled for two weeks.^{[citation needed]}

Washington

A snowy hill in downtown Seattle in December 2008.

Seattle

The winter weather greatly affected the Seattle area, where snow brought the city to a standstill and temperatures reached record lows. Many holiday travelers were unable to reach their destinations when Greyhound canceled bus service, airlines canceled flights at Sea-Tac International Airport, and Amtrak shut down passenger service between Eugene, Oregon and Vancouver, British Columbia.^[6][7]

The city of Seattle was criticized over its response to the snowfall. Mayor Greg Nickels initially gave the city a "B" for its response to the snowstorm, but the director of the Department of Transportation admitted the city should have done things differently.^[8][9] The Seattle Department of Transportation did not use salt on the icy roads, opting instead to put sand and a chemical de-icer on the roads. The snowplows used by the city did not clear the roads entirely of snow, instead creating a hard snow-packed surface; this was done to minimize damage to the roads.^[10] The mayor later stated the city would use salt during future snowstorms,^[11] but the heavy criticism may have contributed to incumbent Mayor Nickels coming in third place in the next primary election.^[12]

See also

• Winter Storms of 2008-09
• Hanukkah Eve Wind Storm of 2006
• Snowstorm

References

1. ^ BBC: Canada Snow Hunt finds Six Bodies
2. ^ Yahoo News: Floods could follow Ice in Midwest
3. ^ ^{a b} NOAA snowstorm press release
4. ^ KGW: Slow snow melt begins in Metro area
5. ^ ^{a b} KGW/AP news: Snow storm stymies Portland (12/23/2008)
6. ^ [1] Karen Gaudette, Nicole Tsong and Sara Jean Green. "Record low temperature set this morning." Seattle Times. December 15, 2008.
7. ^ [2] Carol Pucci, Marc Ramirez and Jennifer Sullivan. "Travelers in holding pattern for holidays." Seattle Times. December 23, 2008.
8. ^ [3] Doughton, Sandi. "Mayor Nickels gives city 'B' grade for snow response." Seattle Times. December 24, 2008.
9. ^ [4] Heffter, Emily. "Seattle transportation official on snowstorm response: "We blew it"." Seattle Times. February 20, 2009.
10. ^ [5] Kelleher, Susan. "Seattle refuses to use salt; roads "snow packed" by design." Seattle Times. December 23, 2008.
11. ^ [6] Heffter, Emily. "After storm of criticism, Seattle mayor reverses no-salt policy for snow." Seattle Times. January 1, 2009.
12. ^ [7] KIRO-TV, "Then-Mayor Greg Nickels received heavy criticism for his office’s response to the weather and it may have even contributed to failed re-election bid."