To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. Alberta Clipper (Dear Premier of Alberta, Thank you for the swell storm. Next time, please send beer instead.) Alberta Clippers generally arrive between the months of December and February, right about the time you prefer cold ones exported from Canada to come in cans and bottles. They are fast-moving storms which take their name from our friends in Alberta, Canada, the province from which they appear to descend, and from clipper ships of the 19th century, one of the fastest ships of that era. Two variations of Alberta Clippers are Manitoba Maulers and Saskatchewan Screamers. While their names sound like hockey teams, their effect is the weather equivalent of being slammed into the boards. These storms sweep in at high speed, bringing with them biting high winds and a sharp drop in temperature. It is not uncommon for an Alberta Clipper to cause temperatures to drop by 30 degrees Fahrenheit in just a few hours and to bring winds as strong as 35 to 45 mph with them. These conditions can cause wind chill values to drop into the -20 to -50 degree range, brisk enough to get even the most macho Western New Yorkers to zip their coats. Left: A wintery panorama of the USS Little Rock, the restored Erie Canal terminus, HSBC Tower, the Skyway, and the erstwhile Memorial Auditorium page 45