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To: NYBob1 who wrote (195)	3/18/2008 10:38:43 AM
From: joseffy	Respond to of 442

Montreal set to break all-time snow record... Quebec children get holiday as snow piles on roofs Reuters - Tuesday, March 18 malaysia.news.yahoo.com MONTREAL - Several dozen schools were expected to remain shut this week in the Canadian province of Quebec over fears their roofs may collapse under the weight of near record amounts of snow, officials said on Monday. Administrators at Montreal's French-language school board said only 73 of the roughly 200 schools shut since Friday will reopen on Tuesday. Some of the others may not open until after the four-day Easter weekend, which begins Friday. "The objective, of course, is to open the maximum of schools but at the same time to proceed carefully because we want there to be zero risk," school board president Diane de Courcy told reporters. All told, 90,000 students have been out of school in the Montreal area since Friday. Primary and secondary schools and adult education centres will reopen only once their roofs have been cleared of snow and the buildings have been inspected for structural safety, de Courcy said. Four people have been killed in the mainly French-speaking Canadian province of 7.6 million after roofs collapsed under the weight of accumulated snow, though none of the incidents involved schools. In Shawinigan, about 150 kilometres northeast of Montreal, a 55-year-old man died on Saturday when the roof of his home collapsed. Three women were killed in Morin Heights north of Montreal last Wednesday when part of a food warehouse roof caved in under the weight of snow. To date, some 350 centimetres of snow has fallen in the Montreal area, approaching a record level of 383 centimetres set in 1971. Despite periods of rain over the past few weeks, some school roofs have three meters of accumulated snow, school board officials said. About 300 workers were using shovels, scoops and even chainsaws to cut through the snow and ice. There has been even more snowfall in Quebec's outlying areas. The Mont Orford ski hill about 120 kilometres to the east of Montreal has had 527 centimetres of snowfall since the beginning of the season. Those seeking updates on the Montreal school closures can visit the school board's Web site at: www.csdm.qc.ca or call 514-897-4444.

To: NYBob1 who wrote (195)	3/19/2008 4:31:34 PM
From: joseffy	Respond to of 442

Britain prepares for Arctic Easter Angela Balakrishnan guardian.co.uk, Wednesday March 19 2008 guardian.co.uk Forecasters are warning Britons to brace themselves for bitterly cold temperatures and travel delays over the Easter holiday period. The country is expected to face biting Arctic winds, snow and some of the worst weather on the roads over the earliest Easter since 1913. Scotland, the north-east and eastern England were likely to be hit with snow from tomorrow night, but the Met Office said this could spread to the south-east by the weekend. Advisory notes have been issued, warning of snowfall of up to 10cm in some places in the north. Temperatures were expected to hover between 4C and 8C during the day and drop as low as –3C at night. "There will be a mixed bag of what is falling from the sky," a Met Office spokesman said. "Rain, hail, sleet, snow, anything is possible." The cold snap was expected to last until next week. Last Easter, when the long weekend fell in April, temperatures hit 20C. Motoring organisations, meanwhile, warned that families hoping get away on extended breaks might face difficulties. The AA said 6.5m cars were expected to be on the road over the weekend, with traffic tomorrow and on Easter Monday expected to be 10% heavier than normal. Coastal towns, and roads surrounding major attractions would be the worst affected, with icy roads exacerbating the problem. The AA patrol of the year, Adam Ashmore, said: "Motorists might be under the impression that, due to the very early timing of Easter this year and the fragmentation of school holidays, the roads will be much quieter than usual - but we don't expect this to be the case. "This year everyone hitting the road for an Easter break will be setting off at the same time and on similar routes region-by-region so congestion could potentially be worse than usual." Railway users were also expected to face delays and cancellations due to Network Rail engineering work. In London, Euston station would be closed to Virgin West Coast services over Easter, while all lines into Liverpool Street station would be closed on Sunday and Monday. After major work overruns in the New Year, Network Rail is under pressure to ensure this next batch of bank holiday projects is completed on time.

To: NYBob1 who wrote (195)	4/14/2008 4:01:51 PM
From: joseffy	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 442

Cold Temperatures Freeze Start of Gardening Season in Iowa: 'I've never seen spring come this late'... By Mark Geary, Reporter Apr 13, 2008 kcrg.com MARION – All of this cold weather is freezing the start of the gardening season. Now, outdoor fans are eager for a warm-up. "I'm 71-years-old and I've never seen spring come this late," Robert Ciesleck said. Ciesleck and his family look forward to gardening together every spring. This year, they're not sure when they're going to be able to get their hands dirty. "When it starts getting into mid-March and April, then things should change fast, but not this year," he said. On a typical Sunday afternoon, the Culver’s greenhouse would be packed with people, but the recent cold temperatures scared away a lot of customers. "All the plants are right here. All you can do is come and look for now. I'd hate to take any home quite yet, but it's getting really tempting,” customer Rhonda Kaczinski said. Cold temperatures aren't the only problem. This winter's snow and ice storms drenched the soil and left it soggy. "If you can pick up a handful of soil and still wring moisture out of it, it's too wet to plant," Culver’s employee Sherri Baldonado said. Even though it might be too cold for flowers to take root, Culver's employees recommend buying plants now and storing them in a warm place like a garage. "I have a saying for people -- If you see it and you like it, take it now, because it may be gone the next time you come back," Baldonado said. Ciesleck and his family eventually found a few plants they like, and they plan to visit the greenhouse again soon. Even if we do get some warmer weather, a spring frost is still possible all the way until mid-May. Culver's employees try to warn all of their customers about that possibility.