Winter Weather Running - Wind Warnings & Whiteouts

This is what Alex's run home looked like the last two days. We've had winds gusting from 40-70Km/hr causing whiteouts and giving us wind warnings:

"This is a warning that an extended period of blowing snow with poor visibilities is expected or occurring in these regions"

I took these pictures this morning around 9am, it didn't get any better by the time he ran home at 1pm.

Here's where his run home starts with the first (and worst) whiteout in sight:

The approach to that first whiteout:

Almost home:

The Crooked Creek in sight, less than 1Km to go:

Home to the shelter of the yard:

Looking at the Forecast

Friday: Periods of snow. Low minus 7. High plus 2.

Saturday: Periods of snow. Windy. Low zero. High zero.

Sunday: A mix of sun and cloud. Low minus 14. High minus 9.

it's a good thing the Freeze Your Gizzard is Sunday and not Saturday. Alex may freeze his gizzard in the colder temperatures but at least he might actually get there.

In 2005 we were getting snow and high winds and it took 45 minutes to get less than 4km from home, having driven through countless snowdrifts and under a downed power line. We realized even if we made it to Montague, a one hour trip on a good day, we'd never make it by race time. We turned around and came home (Alex was not impressed!) but 15 Half-Marathoners and 28 10K'ers braved the elements, got to Montague and ran the race (and by the looks of things likely froze their gizzards in the process!).

The weather on race day 2005:

Last year 62 runners did the Half-Marathoner and 42 ran the 10K. "It was cloudy and 1 degrees and windy"