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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLakeshore Advance, 2013-09-04, Page 6Wednesday, September 4, 2013 • Lakeshore Advance 5 "Hell hath no fury like a Great Lakes Fall Storm" The Great Storm 1913: Some more weather information, November 1913 Joe Wooden St. Joseph and area Historical Society A 1959 report published by the US office of Climatology said, "the location of the Great Lakes in the interior of the North American continent s the region more complex rapidly changing weather patterns than those of more maritime locations. The devel- opment of a storm of major proportions sometimes occurs within less than 24 hours:' 'Ihe report also notes that Native Americans did not need gov- ernment reports to warn them of the dangers of the Great Lakes. Meteorologists, like George Busche of RCAF Sta- tion Centralia, saw the Great Lakes region as the most diffi- cult area in Canada to forecast, with the possible exception of the Alberta foothills. Others describe the Great Lakes as a "climatological battlefield" where cold polar air masses and warm, moist tropical air vie for control of the North American atmosphere. Espe- cially in spring and fall the area between these different air masses lies across the Great Lakes. David Brown, in his book White I iurricane, published in 2002 discusses the lakes' wave action. Waves in November or December are the most dan- gerous. The stonn of Novem- ber 1913 illustrates that in spades. The meteorology con- cerning the Great Storm of November 1913 offered in this article comes from William R. Deedles, weather historian, National Weather Service, Detroit, Michigan. Mr. Dee- dler's essay includes the fol- lowing paragraph from a report by the Lake Carriers Association: No lake master can recall in all his experience a storm of such unprece- dented violence with such rapid changes in the direc- tions of the wind and its gusts of such fearful speed! This storm raged for sixteen hours continuously at an average velocity of sixty miles per hour, with frequent spurts of sev- enty and over. The waves were at least 35 feet high and fol- lowed each other in quick suc- cession, three waves ordinar- ily coming one right after the other. This storm began as two separate systems. A weak low tracked east across the Service clubs need young members Do you belong to a service club? You know the Rotary or Lions, Kiwanis or Optimists. Oil you're under the age of the answer is likely no. These days there are very few club weddings but plenty of club funerals. Membership is declining in most service clubs. The heyday of service clubs was during the 40's and 50's when returning service men swelled the ranks of the community organizations that had been formed at the turn of the century. Back in the day the most important component of all service clubs was the business con- tacts they provided to their members. Today community service is the driving force behind all service clubs. So why is it so hard to recruit new members? No commu- nity work left to do? I las the government become so effi- cient at solving all our social Bluewater Biz Mark Cassidy problems that service clubs are being squeezed out? Maybe the promise of a chicken in every pot has finally come true. No more little boy dressed in rags and sitting on a filthy mattress on the floor, gazing sadly into the TV camera on the 6 o'clock news? We wish. Next time service clubs as power- ful agents of economic development. southern U.S. on November 6 through the 8th. A low-pressure area and Arctic front moved south out of Canada approaching the northern Great Lakes by the 7th. The air behind this front was very cold. A strong southwest wind blew ahead of this Arctic front and it was followed by a strong northwest wind. A large dome of high pressure 30.52 inches) was behind the front. This low pressure Arctic frontal sys- tem generated storm force winds gusting 50 knots on Saturday the 8th. Tempera- tures were in the 50's and fell to the 30's in Detroit by midnight on the 8th. Over Lake Superior on Saturday 8th were storm force winds, and blizzard conditions. By Sunday morning (9th) the Arctic front had pushed southeast through the Ohio valley. The other storm centre in the southern US Appalachians had intensi- fied. 'This system absorbed the weaker Arctic system. As the much colder air fed into the system, the storm began backing to the north-northwest toward its cold air supply, becoming a meteorological mon- ster, growing and feeding on moisture from the Atlantic and mixing it with the Arctic cold across the Great Lakes" By Sunday evening (9th) this combined storm had deepened to a very intense pressure of 28.6 inches at Erie Pennsylva- nia. At the same time the strong Arctic high was in Minnesota. On a weather map the isobars showing the two strong systems would have been very close together and with the pressure gradient between the high and low being so extreme the winds would have been at major storm force levels. North winds churned up the water. Snow squalls developed as the cold Arctic cold roared across the lakes. Heavy snows fell on Sunday (9th) evening. Much of this snow on Sunday evening was not lake- effect north west wind snow; it was produced on the backside of the storm. Because the Great Lakes waters were warmer than usual and the intense storm centre was over Lake Erie and moved north toward Lake Huron the Lake Erie and Lake Huron areas were buried in heavy snow. Cleve- land, situated on the south shore of Lake Erie had 17 1 inches of snow. Lake Huron communities were buried as well with 8 -foot drifts. What started, then, as two stomas coa- lesced into one monster storm with an Arctic high adding to the mlx and a "roar- ing jet stream" with lots of energy. The weather services at that time had not much knowledge of the jet stream. Storm warnings flew all over the Lakes. Temper- atures fell all day Saturday. Wind speeds increased all day Sunday. The question remains, though, about how much infor- mation the captains had and how mach attention they paid to what the storm sig- nal flags implied. This storm was unusual and unprece- dented and as Mr. Deedier remarks "it may be centuries before such a storm would be experienced again." The St. Joseph & Area Historic a1 Society's commemorative dinner with a theatrical presentation recalls the storm, they deaths and the questions we are le'/t with. This event occurs on the evenings of November 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 at the lle sse'nland Inn. From the countryside letter to the editor Submitted by John Russell Eighth in series on Guiding Beacons of North Lambton Currently featured in Shine; Spotlight on Women of Lambton exhibit at the Lambton Heritage Museum This week we will feature Ruth I11 - man, an educational leader, a dynamo of organizational abilities, a commu- nity leader and an advocate of positive health goals throughout the years. Her co -nominators, Mary Overton and Carol Cleave spent time on the Board of the North Lambton Health Centre with Ruth and volunteered with her on many community projects. As Mary writes, I feel that the Town of Forest, the Municipality of Lambton Shores and even the County of Lamb - ton are much better places to live as a result of the interest and efforts of Ruth over the past decade. Ruth worked tirelessly on Council, on many com- mittees and on many projects which she believed would improve the health and living conditions of the residents of this area. She was goal/outcome focused, always did her homework and had the facts. Doing the right thing is so important to Ruth. I have great respect for Ruth's ability to Juggle so many balls at the same time so effi- ciently. In summary, Ruth is a person with a vision, a belief that everything is possible and the energy to see that it happens." Ruth and Ken Iliman worked as edu- cators before retiring. Many of the tools of organizing that Ruth brought to bear in her volunteering efforts were honed in her long apprenticeship as a teacher and a principal. As Mary said, she was known for doing her home- work and as a colleague on Council, I can testify to the use of the many bind- ers worth of information lugged around and as a good teacher will, using them not only for their contents but as props in her arguments. As an advocate, Ruth is tenacious and fear- less, handling her files and her co -vol- unteers in the same way, with respect and due diligence. In retirement Ruth worked on the Board of the NLHC and was president for three years. Most importantly, as the Volunteer Co-ordinator there from 2002-2012, she helped grow the volun- teer base to over 80. During this time Ruth continued to promote fitness for all, instructing several fitness pro- grams and supported the Kinwood Snack Program and the Meet Me in the Kitchen program. Ruth was a Board member of the Bluewater Health Foundation and facilitated two com- munity advisory panels for Bluewater Health. She spent nine years as a coun- cillor in Lambton Shores serving on the Kettle and Stony Point joint com- mittee, the Forest B.I.A. and as a strong supporter of our successful Commu- nity in Blooms program. In addition, Ruth received the YMCA 'Peacemaker' award, was a leader in Relay for Life and Canada Week celebrations. From mother to teacher, from wife to principal and from volunteer to councillor, Ruth Iliman has contrib- uted in many ways to the community. Her tireless approach and ability to bring people along on many a project has added immensely to the commu- nity fabric, not just with one off things, but with things that stand the test of time. This legacy inspires others and we hope that the people of Kenora appreciate her as much as we do. Back -to -school money lessons for kids To the Editor, It's that time of year again. With summer winding down and vacations coming to an end, many families are getting ready for the hack -to -school season. For kids, this means settling back into the school routine —and for many parents, it means back -to -school shopping. These shopping excursions are a great opportunity to chat about money with your kids. It's important to teach financial concepts from a young age to help kids learn money management and good financial habits. While you're getting organized for the first day, consider involving your kids in the process. If you have a budget for school supplies, share it with your child to explain that when you spend money on one item, that means there is less available for another. Go through flyers together to look for back -to -school sales, and dis- cuss the costs of similar products made by different brands. There are many ways to teach finan- cial basics to your kids. Parents can find more tips and resources in the Teaching children about money life event at itpaystoknow.gc.ca. Lucie Tedesco Acting Commissioner Financial Consumer Agency of Canada