Mini Ice Age Canada – Calgary clears up after summer snowstorm

Earlier last week a freak early snowstorm caused chaos in Calgary, Canada nearly two weeks before the Autumn Equinox when summer officially ends. With trees still very much in leaf the wet snow was too much for the branches.

2 million kilos, or 2000 tons is the equivalent of 158 London Routemaster double decker buses…and the clean up is still ongoing.

I have not yet seen how this has affected agriculture or indeed vulnerable species that are the ‘canaries in the coalmine’ – being frozen not boiled to death.

More than two million kilograms of tree branches and debris have been dumped at city landfills as Calgarians continue a mammoth cleanup after the recent summer snowstorm.

In the latest media briefing on the storm’s aftermath, Enmax also acknowledged frustrations faced by hundreds of customers who were in the dark for days, admitting there was a communication breakdown with homeowners.

Days after a storm dumped heavy, wet snow on leafy trees, cutting power and causing destruction, the fallout remained visible in many neighbourhoods, with dangling branches and debris strewn across lawns.

The volume of leaves, twigs and limbs discarded at three city landfills is only expected to climb as city hall opened its 33 community leaf and pumpkin drop-off centres a few weeks early to help with the cleanup.

A drop-off area at the northwest Confederation Park was already piled high with branches, as pickup trucks stacked with more leafy loads waited in line.

“Today we are witnessing behind me the enormous effort of the City of Calgary and its citizens picking up, pitching in and pulling together to help us deal with this event,” said Sue Henry, of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, standing in front of the northwest drop-off point.

City officials said it’s difficult to know exactly how much cleanup is left to be done, days after a storm dumped heavy, wet snow on leafy trees, cutting power and causing destruction, but that it will take weeks to finish.

More than 2M kilos of tree debris dumped at landfills after storm.

h/t Argiris Diamantis