Crazy Vancouver Weather (Winter 2006-07) - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

stampeder · 2006-12-15, 05:18 PM

Internet connection has only just come up again so here's an update on our situation:

Late last night when mrs. stampeder was going to bed I couldn't sleep so I stayed up and settled in to the recliner chair in the living room with the curtains wide open looking westward to the Island and got ready for the show.

I was not disappointed! I have never in my life seen clouds moving overhead at such a sustained speed, and the house rattled a few times. Power flickered about 4 or 5 times but we were lucky that it stayed on. Street lights went out a few times though. The big fir tree was bending sideways at about 40 degrees with all its limbs downwind the way you see a palm tree in hurricane footage. Keep in mind this is a 150' fir we're talking about! The cedars are usually more flexible than firs and they were bouncing about for hours. My Channel Master 4228 antenna on its 15' galvanized mast never budged an inch all night.

The worst part of the storm hit us from about 2:30am to about 4am in which the night sky turned grayish white and the rain hurled sideways. There was a constant roar of the wind.

You know the old saying "batten down the hatches" - how's this for irony: the only real damage to our property was one hatch blown off the top of the compost container and then at about 4am the wind sheared so sharply in front of the house that the front roof hatch of the camper blew right off its hinges. I ran out into the cul-de-sac in my jammies and grabbed it

so then I got out there with a ladder in the wind (it almost blew me off it once) and put down a tarp over the hole and weighed it down with pieces of 6x6 and 4x4 lumber I had kicking around.

Today I opened up the camper, expecting the worst, and to my shock and delight there was not a drop of moisture to be found! I cannot figure it, but I thoroughly checked the sleeping bag, mattress, and carpeting and they were all dry!

After seeing some of the terrible damage done over in Coquitlam and Port Moody (about 15km away as the crow plummets) and especially over on the Island its obvious that we got off lightly. The news reports say Port Alberni through to Parksville will remain without hydro probably through this weekend, and down to Bamfield much longer. I haven't tried phoning either of my sisters on the Island because they are asking people not to overload the phone system.

My neighbour, the retired BC Hydro lineman, says Hydro is short about 200 linemen to do the kind of cleanup that is now needed so they'll probably get some crews from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba coming in. He was born and raised in this area and he has never seen anything like this: three huge storms hit us in less than 10 days!

If you have a satellite dish tune into the Vancouver local news to see how it all looks.

otown47 · 2006-12-15, 05:22 PM

Oh here we go again.......

It was 10C here today and there was a little sun. So there's no snow for local skiing and the golf courses are all shut. I'm really bummed out !!!!!

But seriously, you guys have had a bad run of luck with the weather this year. I hope its okay next March when I visit.

Mexicanuck · 2006-12-15, 05:31 PM

We were without electricity at our place in Cowichan Bay from Monday to Thursday.

I felt pretty smug about my decision in July 2005 to get a woodstove installed.

Even without electricity, we still had ice cubes in the freezer when I opened it up on Thursday.

mark · 2006-12-15, 05:51 PM

Here in Port Alberni power is still off in some areas (luckily not mine). We were warned about a storm last night but luckily it missed us and we just got a sprinkling of snow. Right now it's partly cloudy and about 3 celcius and calm.

stampeder · 2006-12-15, 05:54 PM

Are you anywhere near Cherry Hill, Mark?

mark · 2006-12-15, 07:36 PM

Sorry, I haven't lived here that long (from Ontario originally) but I don't know of any Cherry Hill here. There is a Cherry Creek though and I am close to there.

stampeder · 2006-12-15, 08:12 PM

Ya, north of Canadian Tire where the golfing is. Thanks!

Icemann · 2006-12-16, 05:49 PM

I drove down Mariner towards Lougheed in Coquitlam yesterday afternoon. There was a backup because the light half way down the hill was out so I had a chance to look around. Debris everywhere and I saw 2 houses with trees from their back yards lying against the house. Wow, that would suck big time.

Ricketty Rabbit · 2006-12-16, 07:19 PM

Yep, that was one spectacular storm. The noise woke me at 3 am, and I didn't get back to sleep until after 6. But unlike most of our fellow north shore residents, we dodged the bullet. We'd been hit by 3 sustained power outages (4 to 9 hours) in the previous week, but none during this, the worst storm. The light flickered many times from 3 am to 6 am and dimmed noticeably a few times, but the power stayed on.

My theory is that the trees most likely to bring down a power line fell during the previous two storms, so nothing weak was left aloft. Ironically, last night long after the wind subsided, something blew at our main substation and we were blacked out for 3 hours.

When the power goes out, our airtight gas fireplace keeps our home warm. In a 9 hour outage, the temperature at the thermostat (down the hall, past a right angle turn, 40 feet from the fireplace) had only declined from 71F to 69F. It needs no blower -- convection does the trick -- and it starts during power outages with a flick of the wall-mounted switch. Bring it on!

Ricketty

stampeder · 2006-12-16, 08:24 PM

I had to go repeak my 2 BEV dishes (one each for 91 and 82) because the wind had thrown them off enough that the signals on 82 were getting pixellated. My OTA antenna was off by about 3 degrees as well.

stampeder · 2006-12-20, 12:54 PM

Cripes - here we go again!

Quote:

CBC News
Wednesday, December 20, 2006 | 8:09 AM PT

The southern coast of B.C. braced for another windstorm Wednesday while crews worked to restore power to hundreds of people affected by last week's storm.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-col...orm-power.html

stampeder · 2006-12-24, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Environment Canada

Greater Vancouver
10:44 AM PST Sunday 24 December 2006

Wind warning for
Greater Vancouver issued

Southeast winds ranging up to 110 km/h over much of coastal British Columbia today with lesser winds up to 70 over the Inner South coast.

This is a warning that damaging winds are imminent or occurring in these regions. Monitor weather conditions..Listen for updated statements.

A deep and intense low pressure system will be centred offshore west of the Queen Charlotte Islands today and will begin to weaken on Monday as it moves toward the northern Alaska Panhandle. The associated front will reach the Queen Charlottes near noon and will make its way through the remainder of the coast by this evening. The strongest southeast winds will be just before the frontal passage and winds will ease behind the front. On the north coast winds are expected to increase again early Monday morning as the strong circulation around the low pressure centre reaches the area.

http://www.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/wa...rt_e.html?bc42

Monobloc · 2006-12-29, 12:58 AM

What a crazy day the 24th was. I was driving up Vancouver Island most of the afternoon. Rainy, huge pools of water, snow on the side of the road while raining on the highway. Ferries rocking like crazy. Too windy to stand outside. I had to hang onto the roof to get back in my car.

Went to visit my dad for Christmas Eve/Day/Boxing Day. The power was already out on the 24th. We got it back at dinner time on the 25th. We had already BBQ'ed all the turkey fixings and the bird itself all day long. Downed trees were everywhere along the roadside.

technut · 2006-12-29, 06:41 PM

We made the top ten list at Environment Canada

Top Ten Weather Stories for 2006

B.C. Weather Woes Part I: So Much Rain, So Little Water
B.C. Weather Woes Part II: A December to Remember
Big Blows in Central Canada
Goldilocks of Summers
Prairie Hailers and a Deadly Twister
Nation-wide January Heat Wave
Active and Lengthy Wildfire Season
Surprise and Relief - A Quiet Hurricane Season
BC's Long Wet and Long Dry
Election Weather Confounds Pundits

stampeder · 2007-01-19, 01:08 PM

Having lived all across Canada and being the type who loved camping at -30C in the Alberta Rockies I used to laugh at how whiny Vancouverites were about a bit of snow and cold, but now I understand the damage it does and the dangers it presents here.

There is so much moisture in the environment here that it is no wonder everything comes to a standstill in freezing temperatures - the snow and black ice are really treacherous. Our big trees seem to be okay so far but I still worry about a large limb or two snapping off from the ice and snow load. It'll be a relief when things get back to normal i.e. 10 deg. C and rain...

I've heard from relatives and friends in other parts of Canada who have hardly seen any snow this winter at all.

2006-12-15, 05:18 PM	#1
stampeder OTA Forum Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: North Delta, BC (96Av x 116St) Posts: 23,338	Crazy Vancouver Weather (Winter 2006-07) Internet connection has only just come up again so here's an update on our situation: Late last night when mrs. stampeder was going to bed I couldn't sleep so I stayed up and settled in to the recliner chair in the living room with the curtains wide open looking westward to the Island and got ready for the show. I was not disappointed! I have never in my life seen clouds moving overhead at such a sustained speed, and the house rattled a few times. Power flickered about 4 or 5 times but we were lucky that it stayed on. Street lights went out a few times though. The big fir tree was bending sideways at about 40 degrees with all its limbs downwind the way you see a palm tree in hurricane footage. Keep in mind this is a 150' fir we're talking about! The cedars are usually more flexible than firs and they were bouncing about for hours. My Channel Master 4228 antenna on its 15' galvanized mast never budged an inch all night. The worst part of the storm hit us from about 2:30am to about 4am in which the night sky turned grayish white and the rain hurled sideways. There was a constant roar of the wind. You know the old saying "batten down the hatches" - how's this for irony: the only real damage to our property was one hatch blown off the top of the compost container and then at about 4am the wind sheared so sharply in front of the house that the front roof hatch of the camper blew right off its hinges. I ran out into the cul-de-sac in my jammies and grabbed it so then I got out there with a ladder in the wind (it almost blew me off it once) and put down a tarp over the hole and weighed it down with pieces of 6x6 and 4x4 lumber I had kicking around. Today I opened up the camper, expecting the worst, and to my shock and delight there was not a drop of moisture to be found! I cannot figure it, but I thoroughly checked the sleeping bag, mattress, and carpeting and they were all dry! After seeing some of the terrible damage done over in Coquitlam and Port Moody (about 15km away as the crow plummets) and especially over on the Island its obvious that we got off lightly. The news reports say Port Alberni through to Parksville will remain without hydro probably through this weekend, and down to Bamfield much longer. I haven't tried phoning either of my sisters on the Island because they are asking people not to overload the phone system. My neighbour, the retired BC Hydro lineman, says Hydro is short about 200 linemen to do the kind of cleanup that is now needed so they'll probably get some crews from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba coming in. He was born and raised in this area and he has never seen anything like this: three huge storms hit us in less than 10 days! If you have a satellite dish tune into the Vancouver local news to see how it all looks.

2006-12-15, 05:22 PM	#2
otown47 Veteran Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ottawa, Rogers Posts: 3,902	Oh here we go again....... It was 10C here today and there was a little sun. So there's no snow for local skiing and the golf courses are all shut. I'm really bummed out !!!!! But seriously, you guys have had a bad run of luck with the weather this year. I hope its okay next March when I visit. Last edited by otown47; 2006-12-15 at 05:31 PM.

2006-12-15, 05:31 PM	#3
Mexicanuck Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cowichan Bay, BC Posts: 1,381	We were without electricity at our place in Cowichan Bay from Monday to Thursday. I felt pretty smug about my decision in July 2005 to get a woodstove installed. Even without electricity, we still had ice cubes in the freezer when I opened it up on Thursday. __________________ "Don't quote me on this." - Anonymous

2006-12-29, 06:41 PM	#14
technut Veteran Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Victoria, BC (on Shaw TV & Internet, Telus home phone, Bell mobile) Posts: 1,767	We made the top ten list at Environment Canada Top Ten Weather Stories for 2006 B.C. Weather Woes Part I: So Much Rain, So Little Water B.C. Weather Woes Part II: A December to Remember Big Blows in Central Canada Goldilocks of Summers Prairie Hailers and a Deadly Twister Nation-wide January Heat Wave Active and Lengthy Wildfire Season Surprise and Relief - A Quiet Hurricane Season BC's Long Wet and Long Dry Election Weather Confounds Pundits __________________ Mike / technut

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2006-12-15, 05:51 PM	#4
mark Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bolton, ON Posts: 643	Here in Port Alberni power is still off in some areas (luckily not mine). We were warned about a storm last night but luckily it missed us and we just got a sprinkling of snow. Right now it's partly cloudy and about 3 celcius and calm.

2006-12-15, 05:54 PM	#5
stampeder OTA Forum Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: North Delta, BC (96Av x 116St) Posts: 23,338	Are you anywhere near Cherry Hill, Mark?

2006-12-15, 07:36 PM	#6
mark Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bolton, ON Posts: 643	Sorry, I haven't lived here that long (from Ontario originally) but I don't know of any Cherry Hill here. There is a Cherry Creek though and I am close to there.

2006-12-15, 08:12 PM	#7
stampeder OTA Forum Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: North Delta, BC (96Av x 116St) Posts: 23,338	Ya, north of Canadian Tire where the golfing is. Thanks!

2006-12-16, 05:49 PM	#8
Icemann Veteran Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Vancouver Posts: 1,651	I drove down Mariner towards Lougheed in Coquitlam yesterday afternoon. There was a backup because the light half way down the hill was out so I had a chance to look around. Debris everywhere and I saw 2 houses with trees from their back yards lying against the house. Wow, that would suck big time.

2006-12-16, 07:19 PM	#9
Ricketty Rabbit Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Vancouver Posts: 1,001	Yep, that was one spectacular storm. The noise woke me at 3 am, and I didn't get back to sleep until after 6. But unlike most of our fellow north shore residents, we dodged the bullet. We'd been hit by 3 sustained power outages (4 to 9 hours) in the previous week, but none during this, the worst storm. The light flickered many times from 3 am to 6 am and dimmed noticeably a few times, but the power stayed on. My theory is that the trees most likely to bring down a power line fell during the previous two storms, so nothing weak was left aloft. Ironically, last night long after the wind subsided, something blew at our main substation and we were blacked out for 3 hours. When the power goes out, our airtight gas fireplace keeps our home warm. In a 9 hour outage, the temperature at the thermostat (down the hall, past a right angle turn, 40 feet from the fireplace) had only declined from 71F to 69F. It needs no blower -- convection does the trick -- and it starts during power outages with a flick of the wall-mounted switch. Bring it on! Ricketty

2006-12-16, 08:24 PM	#10
stampeder OTA Forum Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: North Delta, BC (96Av x 116St) Posts: 23,338	I had to go repeak my 2 BEV dishes (one each for 91 and 82) because the wind had thrown them off enough that the signals on 82 were getting pixellated. My OTA antenna was off by about 3 degrees as well.

2006-12-29, 12:58 AM	#13
Monobloc Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: BC Posts: 464	What a crazy day the 24th was. I was driving up Vancouver Island most of the afternoon. Rainy, huge pools of water, snow on the side of the road while raining on the highway. Ferries rocking like crazy. Too windy to stand outside. I had to hang onto the roof to get back in my car. Went to visit my dad for Christmas Eve/Day/Boxing Day. The power was already out on the 24th. We got it back at dinner time on the 25th. We had already BBQ'ed all the turkey fixings and the bird itself all day long. Downed trees were everywhere along the roadside.

2007-01-19, 01:08 PM	#15
stampeder OTA Forum Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: North Delta, BC (96Av x 116St) Posts: 23,338	Having lived all across Canada and being the type who loved camping at -30C in the Alberta Rockies I used to laugh at how whiny Vancouverites were about a bit of snow and cold, but now I understand the damage it does and the dangers it presents here. There is so much moisture in the environment here that it is no wonder everything comes to a standstill in freezing temperatures - the snow and black ice are really treacherous. Our big trees seem to be okay so far but I still worry about a large limb or two snapping off from the ice and snow load. It'll be a relief when things get back to normal i.e. 10 deg. C and rain... I've heard from relatives and friends in other parts of Canada who have hardly seen any snow this winter at all.