Howie Chong

It’s hot in Toronto.  But that’s not the only place in the world experiencing sizzling weather.

Twillingate, Newfoundland – the self-described Iceberg Capital of the World, isn’t seeing any icebergs floating off of its coasts this summer even though there are usually lots of them this time of year.

Meanwhile, Northern Europe is going through a killer heatwave.  Russia is going through its worst drought in 100 years and roads in the Czech Republic are melting in the heat.

The air conditioning units in some trains in Germany broke down and some poor souls were baking inside at 50ºC.

Within 48 hours, after it’s done its damage in Texas and Arkansas, the remnants of Hurricane Ike will make a direct hit on Toronto.

By then, it will likely be no more than a nuisance… a few strong winds, thunderstorms and rain. But it’s a powerful reminder of how interconnected people are by the weather and the climate. It’s endlessly fascinating to me that a thunderstorm here can be directly related to a hurricane further in the Caribbean.

This part of the continent frequently recieves the remnants of hurricanes in the form of tropical storms or extremely windy conditions. Many of Toronto’s houses have been damages by falling trees and electricity poles (I was about to write ‘hydro poles’ here but remembered that those not living here sometimes have trouble understanding that when we say ‘hydro’, we really mean ‘electricity’ and not water). In 1954, Toronto was even hit by an actual hurricane that damaged a great dealof property and actually killed a few folks in and around the bay to the Humber River in the Western part of the city. You can see plaques and art installations commemorating the event when you take the trails up and down the Humber River valley.

If you’re interested in learning more, I highly recommend Storm Pulse. It has excellent, user-controlled graphical site dedicated to tracking tropical storms and hurricanes.