Extreme weather extends beyond what is considered normal for a particular region and includes unusual, severe, or unseasonal weather. Some claim that extreme weather is a consequence of human-induced global warming; however, this remains a point of contention among scientists and academics.
National Geographic: Worst Weather Ever?
While the cause of extreme weather remains difficult to determine and largely contentious, we still know it when we see it: hurricanes, heat waves, golf-ball hail, cold waves, flooding rains, and deathly drought. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report in 2011, the estimates of annual losses due to extreme weather have ranged since 1980 from a few billion dollars to above 200 billion (USD), with the greatest culprit being Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Relatedly, Professor Tim Palmer, Co-Director of the Programme on Modelling and Predicting Climate, of the Oxford Martin School of the 21st Century, predicts that extreme weather events will increase in severity over the coming years.
Professor Tim Palmer, Oxford, on Extreme Weather
Extreme weather, especially in Canada, is here to stay; the key is knowing how to respond to it. Here are some summer examples of extreme weather, and what to do if you're in your vehicle when they happen around you.
Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms develop when warm, moist, unstable air is forced to rise into the atmosphere. This creates turbulence, which in turn, creates positively and negatively electrically-charged areas within the cumulonimbus clouds. Lightening kills an average of 7 people and injures 60-70 people each year in Canada. It is also responsible for 42 percent of the country's forest fires, with an annual 'damage cost' of $14 billion.
In a vehicle: You're safe inside a hard-topped vehicle like an RV, because the outer metal body of the vehicle will divert the lightening. But keep your hands to your lap, and do not touch anything metal inside the vehicle. It will also be important to pull your vehicle over in such instances if your visibility is totally compromised.
Hail:
Hail forms when the updrafts carry water droplets into the colder reaches of a cumulonimbus cloud where they freeze. More layers are added when updrafts hurl other water droplets and they collide with the now frozen particles. This process builds until the frozen particles are too heavy for the updrafts to support, and they fall to the ground as hail.
In a vehicle: A car can give you reasonable protection, but be aware that extremely large hail could break windows. If you hear a forecast of an extreme hail storm on the news, it's best to find some kind of temporary shelter to prevent your vehicle from major damage.
Flash Floods
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas, such as rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, tropical storm, or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields. A flash flood is distinguished from a regular flood by a timescale of less than six hours.
Calgary Flood, 2013--View of downtown
Toronto Flooding 2013, soon after Calgary Flood.
In vehicle:
Almost half of all flash flood deaths happen in vehicles. Driving through flash flood areas can be extremely dangerous.
- Never drive through a flash flooded road or bridge--back up and try another route. Stay on high ground.
- Listen to the radio for weather information.
- Take routes that avoid flooded areas.
- If your car becomes flooded, do not stay in it--abandon it immediately and move to higher ground.
- If your car is swept into the water and submerged, don't panic. Stay calm and wait for the vehicle to fill with water. Once the vehicle is full, the doors will open. Hold your breath and swim to the surface.
- If you are swept into fast moving floodwater outside your vehicle, point your feet downstream. Always go over obstacles, never try to go under.
- If you are stranded on something above the floodwater, such as a tree or building, stay put and wait for rescue. Do not enter the floodwater.
- Do not walk into flood water--a mere six inches can sweep you away.
- If possible, avoid contact with flood water. It may be contaminated with oil, gasoline, or raw sewage. It may also be charged with electricity from fallen power lines.
Tornados
Tornados often occur in the hot, humid weather of late spring or summer afternoon or evening. The storms that create tornados often occur in areas where warm and cold air masses collide. Tornados are violently rotating columns of air extending from the cloud base to the surface. A tornado can range in width from 10 metres to 2 kilometres.
In a vehicle: A vehicle is not a safe refuge when a tornado strikes. Don't get caught in your car, camper, or mobile home. If possible, go to the lowest level of a building with a strong foundation or basement. If no such building is available, then leave your vehicle, find a low-lying area, lie down flat, and protect your head. Such areas can be a deep stand of trees in a low-lying area, or a ditch or other low spot. The key is to get as close to the ground as possible and protect your head from flying debris.
The most important point in all of this is to stay alert and informed. Environment Canada posts climate reports throughout the day. Before you travel, especially over long distances and across provinces, consult the Environment Canada website and look at the long-term forecast. You can also get such information through sources like the Weather Network.
Some believe that extreme weather is intensifying; that we are in some kind of pre-apocalyptic period in human history that is leading to a growing brittleness of our global system that threatens collapse. Whether you believe that or not, staying informed and alert is your best insurance against being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If, however, you find yourself in such a scenario, hopefully these tips will come to mind.
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