cold enough to cause frost quakes here in Ontario,

[Mark]

“How cold is it?” asks reader John Topal. “Well, cold enough to cause frost quakes here in Ontario, feeling the house rattle. Seems really strange. Wasn’t aware of the phenomena till newscasts reporting thousands of people are hearing the loud booms in the larger cities.”

“Large swaths of southern Ontario have been experiencing a phenomenon known as frost quakes,” says the Globe and Mail.

“Meteorologists say recent ice storms, thaws and deep freezes have created ideal conditions for the frost quakes have caused public consternation and even alarm.

Dayna Vettese, a meteorologist with the Weather Network, said the thaw that took place shortly after Christmas allowed the ice that accumulated during the storm that blanketed much of the country to seep into the soil. The subsequent deep freeze caused that water to turn to ice, which then expanded and pried chunks of the ground apart.

“It’s almost like an earthquake because it’s very close to the surface. You will feel a little bit of shaking, maybe if you’re sitting in a chair and it happened, or you’re lying in bed, or some of your dishes might rattle.”

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/recent-weather-activity-brings-frost-quakes-to-southern-ontario/article16189544/?service=mobile

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