From the District of Muskoka ‘Climate Corner‘
This winter has been one for the history books with the amount of snow we have experienced in Muskoka. Extreme weather is something we can expect to see more of due to climate change. How we manage and prepare for this weather is important, as well as doing what we can to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions (GHG’s) to combat the larger issue.
Meteorologists have said that the storm in late November and December was the biggest in recent memory, dumping a reported 140 cm on Gravenhurst. And since then, massive snow fall has continued to land in areas across the watershed, with many communities reporting record-level snows.
Richard Rood, a climate scientist who studies the Great Lakes, says lake-effect snowstorms will likely intensify as the planet warms.1 Lake-effect snow happens when there is combination of cold Arctic air and the comparatively warmer water of the Great Lakes, or any body of water for that matter. As the air passes over the lake, it picks up moisture in the form of snow and it falls on communities downwind, often characterized by intense and localized squalls. The warmer a lake gets the more moisture it picks up. Muskoka experienced an unseasonably warm fall in 2024, and some intense heat waves in the summer, increasing the temperature of the lakes we live around.
At the beginning of December 2024, four of the five Great lakes had warmer average surface temperatures over the first 11 months of the year than any other in the past three decades, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.2 While lake effect snow blowing off Georgian Bay is not new for the region, the increased frequency and intensity of these storms are likely going to be a new reality for the region due to the warming of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay.
Another part of climate change is having large swings in weather from year to year. In the 2023-2024 winter season there was barely any snow, and it was mild. Now we are having more snow than we can manage and a much colder winter. Adapting to climate change means being prepared for these intense swings in weather.
The large snowpack we have now means there will be a lot of melting in the spring. We need to be prepared for a more intense flooding season this spring, given the large amount of snow [that] will melt and run off into our rivers and lakes. From the 2023 Muskoka Watershed Council Report Card, “In sequence, if there is enough snow, if it melts quickly, if heavy rain falls during the melt period, and if further significant rain also falls before the watershed drains then these components combine. If they result in 250 mm to 300 mm of water accumulation, then the watershed cannot contain this amount of water, nor can it release the water downstream fast enough due to physical constraints in the geography and we get flooding.”
Here are some tips to be prepared for a heavy snow season from our Emergency Preparedness Webpage:
- Clear 911 Signs: After every snowfall, make sure your 911 address sign is visible. This small action can save paramedics valuable time in an emergency when every second counts.
- Check on Neighbours: Winter can be tough for seniors and those with differences in mobility. Take a moment to check on neighbours who might need assistance, whether it’s clearing pathways or even helping with groceries.
- Shoveling Safely: Shoveling is hard work and can put strain on your body. Don’t overexert yourself—take breaks, use proper technique, and dress warmly. If you’re feeling unwell, stop and rest. Safety comes first!
- Drive Cautiously: Snow and ice can turn roads into hazards quickly. Reduce your speed, increase following distances, and avoid sudden stops. Keep your car Winter Ready with snow tires and an Emergency Kit.
- Stay Alert to Conditions: Whether it’s black ice on the road or icy patches on walkways, always stay aware of your surroundings. Wear footwear with good treads, avoid rushing, and watch for hidden hazards.
- Prepare an Emergency Kit: Your emergency kit should have items for your family to remain safe and taken care of for at least three (3) days immediately following an emergency
- i) Essentials you may need to include are non-perishable and easy to prepare foods, can opener, bottled water (4 litres per person per day), flashlights, candles and matches/lighter, crank radio, cell phone charger, batteries, blankets, whistle, extra cash and car keys, hand sanitizer, personal identification and important documentation (i.e. financial, mortgage and insurance records)
- ii) Special consideration may be given to babies and small children (diapers, baby food, etc.), medical supplies and equipment, people with disabilities, and your pets
Sources:
CBC: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/warming-great-lakes-intense-snow-storms-1.7422806
Muskoka Watershed Council 2023 Report Card: www.muskokawatershed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023RC-BackgroundReport-13-Climate.pdf
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I have just read a book: A Farewell to Ice – A Report From the Arctic. It is written by Peter Wadhams who is a Professor of Ocean Physics and head of the Polar Physics group in the department of applied mathematics at Cambridge University in London England. Once you read this bit of information, you will understand what climate is about and that it is REAL. It is not the easiest book to read, but enough for you to understand what we are in for. Our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will experience continued warming due to CO2 which we are releasing now. I used to live in Huntsville and know about the amount of snow, but also know that it will increase as well as create other frightening weather situations.
Awe, come on folks.
Don’t you listen to the “golden orifice” from the South of Canada? All this climate stuff is “FAKE”, you should go out and burn oil! Buy that 500HP pick up for the wife to get groceries. He’s going to make your life “great again” if only you just spend on the things he wants you to spend upon.
Yeah, right!!
I feel compelled to write this letter after attending a council meeting in Huntsville town hall on March 12, 2025. I originally went there to hear plans, for what was my family farm at 592 Golf Course rd.
While there, the first item on the docket was what may be a future development on Shay rd. This gave me the opportunity to inquire as to why Shay rd. has been closed and when a meeting is going to be held on the matter? The response I got was, there was not going to be a meeting planned, and the Ministry of Transport,…. the M.T.O. is not communicating with the town. The town claims the M.T.O. owns the road, and they put the barriers up, which I find hard to believe, but maybe?
I should inform people what I know about the land and the road. My great, great grandfather, Nathan Nathaniel Norton (1828-1912), one of the first settlers in the area, with Capt Hunt and others, cleared what is called Shay rd. now, but back then, and until recent history was called Old North rd. They cleared the road thru to Williamsport and Limberlost and the other way to Melissa and Novar, so other early settlers had access to Huntsville town core. At one time my great grandmother and then my father, owned the land purposed in the new development, so I believe I know a fair amount of the history of the area of Shay rd.
From what I could gather from that council meeting was, that there is no answer as to why Shay rd. is closed! It would appear that the only one going to benefit with the closing of the road is the developer?
I’m also curious on whether, as a taxpayer, did I help fund water and sewer to be run to the vacant, now serviced lot, that is next to the barriers on Shay rd., which is also owned by the developer?
The way I see it the town can hardly keep up with the maintenance on the roads we have now! Yet purpose more roads to maintain, with more traffic on Centre st., to clog up the roads in summer, when there is a perfectly good road already thru the development; it’s called Shay rd.!
By explanation of the town, that must mean the M.T.O. owns what’s left of the Old North rd., that’s across hwy 60 west, and possibly also Golf Course rd, and what remains of Old North rd.that runs along highway 11?
Whomever blocked the road off, as it stands now, is inviolation of the highway traffic act, under the section “road access act”, R.S.O. 1990, chapter R 34 and also possibly the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, by denying free movement and travel for Canadians?
I will be delivering my concerns to the mayor and my councilor for Chaffey township.
I will also be pursuing an answer from the M.T.O., and my M.P.P
I also want to remind all the councilors and mayor that you work for the taxpayers of Huntsville, not 7just the developers. If there is to be a closing of Shay rd., then there needs to be a public meeting on the matter so that the citizens and taxpayers of Huntsville have their opinions heard.
My name is Rodney Rhiness, and I can be contacted at (705) 789-7228, and thank you for reading.
Climate change sure. I remember plenty of winters same as or more severe than this past one. Climate is change. Do you expect it to be the same constant cycle each and every year. Your so called extremes have been happening well before mankjnd and will continue well after mankind
I agree with pretty much everything in this article, except the very first sentence: “This winter has been one for the history books with the amount of snow we have experienced in Muskoka.”. Anyone who experienced Muskoka winters for more than 20 years knows that this is NOT a winter for the history books – unless you are only talking about the last few decades. I don’t know the stats, but this amount of snow and cold temperatures is probably much closer to what the average was like in the eighties. I tried to find some historical data to back up my anecodetal claim, but I could not find anything online.