Squalls smother Southern Niagara

Southern Niagara was also hammered by snow squalls and whiteouts Thursday.

You could see them moving in over the Niagara River. Within seconds, houses disappeared behind walls of white. The winds were howling. One woman had to stop and then walk backwards to make it to her house.

For people who have to work outside the winter’s been brutal. “Checking the weather every day. Hoping to see anything above zero. It’s been pretty bad.”

Southern Ontario is used to winter weather, especially towns like Fort Erie near the lake. For nearly two straight months we’ve had sub-zero daytime temperatures. 53 days since December. And not just below zero – well below zero.

“Never ends, what are you going to do?”

Ray Finch wishes he stayed south longer. “I just turned my face. It’s so cold on my face. I thought this hurts.”

For those people who don’t have a choice about being outside, they just keep moving. “About an hour or two at a time. then we take a break”

The only ones who don’t mind this weather: the Canada Geese and Tundra Swans. The swans are stopping over at the Niagara River on their way back up to the Arctic.