As it turned out ... It would not be the cold. It would not be the damp. It would be the wind. A special weather statement warned of winds up to 100 km per hour; downded wires everywhere and on my front lawn, a spruce tree that has been standing staid for 50 to 100 years is now kindling.
The nearest airport (Y2K) recorded gusts of up to (only) 75 kph. Today we've seen torrential rain, hail, snow and wind - lots of wind. Is this April? Really??? Sad as it is, it's just a tree; the house and all of the people are all still sanding.