High Masculine Tones

...like all the others. But I can't. This one is from Environment Canada:

Fires and avalanches in British Columbia, drought and locusts on the Prairies, blackouts in Ontario, flash floods in Quebec, hurricanes in the Maritimes and ice floods in Newfoundland - the stuff of biblical scriptures or Hollywood catastrophes? No, it's our nation's annual weather report.

While Canada has had years with more destructive and deadlier weather, rarely have we seen a year with such a variety of weather disasters month-after-month and from coast-to-coast.

The year 2003 will be remembered for the relentless, unstoppable weather events not only in Canada, but around the world. Thousands died from winter cold in Asia and tens of thousands from summer heat in Europe...

Given what happened in 2003, more people than ever became convinced that global warming is real. Climatologists believe that although extreme weather is very much a part of normal climate, during changing climate extreme weather events become more frequent and intense. And while we can't say that the increased weather frequency and severity can be directly linked to a warmer world, we can say it is certainly consistent with our expectations of climate change.

The prose is a prime example of sober GovernmentScientistSpeak, which translates roughly into "you ain't seen nothing yet, folks." And what sort of stuff can we expect more of in the future? Drum roll please...

Top Ten Weather Stories For 2003

1. BC's Year of Disastrous Weather - fires, floods and freezes

2. Hurricane Juan and Hurricane "Juannabes"

3. A Long, Cold Winter Grips Eastern Canada

4. Canada Ablaze from Ontario to the Okanagan

5. Endless Drought in the Prairies

6. Atlantic Canada's Most Expensive Rainstorm

7. New Brunswick's Ice Storm of A Century

8. A Record Year of Deadly Avalanches

9. Alberta Spring Whitewashers

10. Ice Age in Badger

Too bad we can't afford the economic costs of trying to address climate change. The grown-ups are in charge.