It's a bit early, but so is the warmer weather. Spring melt is starting in the back country.
The lakes and rivers are rising. Here's Freda Creek as high as I've ever seen it.
All along the logging roads and trails small brooks are running, melting the snow and ice as they go.
Yesterday was warm and sunny, in the evening it rained and overnight it cooled down - prime conditions for a foggy morning.
Sunrise over Goat Island was at about 9:00 a.m. The rays were just visible through the hazy layer.
And then about half an hour later it lifted and headed through first narrows. Here's a quick video of the last tendrils moving south.
Friday was a very windy day here in Powell River BC.
This lone barge was stuck in the waves riding out the storm.
At the same time, the Island Princess ferry from Texada Island made all it's normal runs. But it must have been a wild ride. I could see her with binoculars plowing through the swells in mid-channel, sheets of spray blowing up and back through the car deck. It must have felt good to get to the Powell River dock with it's minimal protection. -- Margy
Lately we've had a crazy mix of weather. Last weekend the sun was shining, I was sunbathing on the cabin deck and working in my garden.
Wednesday night the wind was blowing at 22 knots (41 kph or 25 mph) even in our sheltered bay. When that happens we rock and roll quite a bit. Fortunately our tire shock absorbers dampen the movement and our chimney pipe windcap keeps wood smoke out of the cabin. But by morning we had clearing skies.
Today we were getting ready to head down the lake when the morning drizzle turned to big heavy wet snow flakes.
Then it cleared again, with the Bunster hills showing off their new mantle of white. What a wonderful place to live. -- Margy
... or so it appears.
This time of year it often rains heavily overnight, but clears when morning arrives. If the clearing includes a sunny dawn it often produces evaporation or steam fog as the moisture on surfaces warms, begins to evaporate, but meets the cooler air above. This log on the boom around our cabin really gave off a dramatic display earlier this week. -- Margy
Last night we had quite a wind storm in Powell River. Up the lake at our float cabin in Hole in the Wall it was gusty from about 4:30 to 9:00 am with speeds up to 27 knots (50 kph or 31 mph). That's not hurricane force winds, but it was enough to flip some burgers the hard way.
We rode out the winds in style thanks to our good friend John's invention of steel anchor cable shock absorbers. I even got back to sleep, a rare occurrence during wind storms. Click here to find out more about how the shock absorbers work. There's even a short video. -- Margy
One of the things I love about living at the float cabin is weather watching. This time of year we get lots of rain, so that's a no brainer.
One thing I've never noticed before is two types of rain happening at the same time. I was watching out our sliding glass door and saw a fine mist hitting the water beyond our deck. But at the same time, huge drops were falling and making large rings on the water's surface. Rain times two.
It was hard to capture the two types of rain in a photograph. The fine misty rain was coming from a low hanging layer of stratus clouds. This is because the moisture falls as soon as it forms into droplets int he clouds. The large drops that made giant rings were from higher level cumulus clouds. They grow in size because they are carried in updrafts through the towering clouds until they become too heavy and fall. If I didn't live facing a watery front yard I might never have noticed this unusual event. -- Margy
January is fog time in Powell River. In between waves of rain coming off the Pacific, there are high pressure breaks that should bring us some much needed sunshine. But this time of year a forecast of "sunny" often mean "foggy."
The fog can cling to the surface of Powell Lake for many hours. Some days it barely rises above the surface of the water and out of the tops of the trees.
On other days, the fog harbours ice. Fog depositing ice leaves frost encrusted trees in it's wake.
It's an amazing weather month, even if it is hard to get around sometimes. -- Margy
On Christmas Day, Wayne and I went for a quad ride. Our destination was the nearby Blue Trail. Along the way, I saw something very unusual. Periodically, along the side of the trail, I saw what looked like the most amazingly white, fine moss. From the seat of my bike, it looked like pieces of Santa's beard strewn across the forest floor. It was growing on small sticks by the side of the trail and on larger fallen trunks further into the bush. I stopped to take some pictures.
Wayne came up to see what I was doing. He touched the "moss" and said, "Silly, that's just snow." I touched it, and sure enough it was cold and crumbled instantly. It didn't look or feel like snow, what could it be?
When we went to our friends Dave and Marg's house for Christmas dinner, I asked them. They said it was frost and it was found typically on alder sticks and trunks, especially ones that had fallen earlier in the year. Of course, I Googled it when I got home and here is what I found.
I wasn't too far off thinking it looked like Santa's beard. It's called a frost beard. That's a form of a frost flower. Dave told us how water gets under the bark of fallen alder trees and branches. It is then squeezed through the pores in the stick and bark into long thin strings of ice that make it look uncannily like a white beard. Dave says he's only seen in on alder in our area. Here's an interesting video by Country Scientist on YouTube of how frost flowers and beards are formed. I'm just glad it wasn't the result of reindeer gone wild! -- Margy
We were supposed to be heading home to Powell River today, but a little bit of weather got in the way. It's late, but this is the first snow of the season for the Sunshine Coast.
Things seem to easing from the south, but the morning forecast is calling for freezing rain in Vancouver, never an easy drive anyway, and snow along Highway 101 on the Lower Sunshine Coast. If it was just Wayne and me, we'd probably go, but this trip Mom and Stick Tail are riding along with us. Feeling more protective of my 93-year young mom, we are opting to wait another day for warmer weather and light rain.
Wayne and I can't wait to get back home to our cabin up the lake. Here's a picture from last year after the first snow. I think you can see why we want to get there. We'll start a fire in the wood stove, snuggle up on the sofa, drink hot chocolate and munch on popcorn.
This week I've been in the city. No, not the City of Powell River. I mean the BIG city, Los Angeles. Twice each year I travel south to work for my former school district as a grant writer. It's good for them, I know the district and the grants well. And it's good for me. I get a bit of spending cash.
Wayne and I flew south on Alaska Airlines, hoping for some sun and warmth. But the Arctic front that was freezing BC and the Pacific Northwest followed us. We hate to deny Southern California much needed rain, and snow in the mountains, but why couldn't they schedule it for a different week? Even so, we had a good time including two USC basketball games, a night at the movies, and dinners with old friends like David, and Karl and Lori.
We got back to Bellingham just in time for the first snow storm of the season. We hurried out to the airport this morning to try to fly 997, but we were too late. Just as we pulled her out of the hanger flakes started to fall. It began to stick immediately so back into the hanger she went. This time of year you can't dawdle or you loose. Maybe tomorrow we'll have a short break so we can get up in the air for a short flight. We need it as much as 997. -- Margy
Weatheroffice
Environment Canada's Official Weather Warnings
10:38 AM PST Sunday 15 November 2009
Rainfall warning for Sunshine Coast continued
Rainfall amounts of 80 to 200 mm by Monday.
Eighty millimetres is 3.1 inches and 200 is an astounding 7.9 inches. That's an incredible amount of rain even on the Sunshine Coast (Raincoast). OK, I know that's an oxymoron, but we do get lots of both. But this much all at once is even too much for us to absorb, literally. Some areas will be in danger of flooding for sure.
Wind warning for Sunshine Coast continued
Southeast wind 50 to 70 km/h.
If rain isn't bad enough, it came with some pretty brutal winds from the southeast, our typical storm track. I hope our cabin is surviving. It's too dangerous on the lake to go home right now. It's dangerous out on the chuck (ocean) as well, but that doesn't stop of the crew of the Island Princess ferry between Powell River and Texada Island.
Take a look. -- Margy
This time of year, wave after wave of storms cross the Pacific Ocean to drop their load on Coastal BC. That's one of the reasons we have moist green rainforests. But I must admit, I enjoy the clearing after the storm better.
On Saturday, Wayne and I came to town. That afternoon, a storm front passed through with lots of strong wind. From our condo we watched the building swells and white caps and heard the loud clanging of sailboat tackle from the marina. I looked up just in time to see the Canadian Coast Guard heading back to port in Powell River's north harbour. I grabbed my camera and got some video of the men and women on the CCGC Cape Caution having a rough (but probably fun for them) day on the chuck.
gia. She went through a commissioning ceremony when it arrived on Powell River on September 15, 2005, and is a regular fixture in our coastal waters. She can travel up to 100 nautical miles with a top speed of about 25 knots when needed. The men and women of the crew stay in one of the condos in our building and have their headquarters out front. It's good to know we have such wonderful neighbours.-- Margy
This is the first week of Spring and it's definitely in evidence here in Hole in the Wall. The rain is gentler, the temperatures more moderate, and flowers are starting to bloom. My daffodil bulbs survived the winter and are creating a colourful display along the rock wall.
We even have a few birds arriving to start their families. The first to arrive were a pair of Canada Geese. I believe they are the same ones that take up residence back in the Hole each year. Just after dawn they take flight, calling loudly as they bank south over John's back bay.
We also have a pair of Merganser ducks paddling around the waters near our cabin diving for fish. Hopefully they'll leave some for us. Opening day for fishing on Powell Lake is coming soon - April 1. - Margy
Earlier this week I wrote about capturing the power of wind with our AirX wind generator. It's good to be able to use wind create extra electrical power at our float cabin. But the wind doesn't always bring good. Sometimes it's bad.
We get gale force (and a few times hurricane force) winds as storms move in and out. We've learned the hard way to keep our deck clear to prevent precious items from diving overboard to a watery grave. Even so, we lost an empty propane tank (fortunately our friend John found it floating in the Hole), a large heavy sawhorse, numerous plastic barrels and buckets, and the top to our BBQ.
Recently, I woke to the sound of wind roaring in like a train from the north. When it hit, a picnic tabletop Wayne salvaged tore loose and became a giant Frisbee. The loss would have been bad enough, but during it's brief flight it took out both antenna on our boat moored nearby. Not a good thing for sure. Whether good or bad, the wind sure is powerful. - Margy
This time of year on Powell Lake in Coastal BC a forecast for sunny days isn't always good news. During winter months it's common for Powell Lake to become enshrouded with a mantle of low lying fog. You might call it ground fog, but it starts on the surface of the lake. Ground fog and valley fog are forms of radiation fog. Conditions leading to radiation fog include:
Powell Lake fills a steep glacial carved valley and is susceptible to valley fog. The NASA website states:Valley fog forms on clear winter days when heavy cold air settles into the mountain valleys while warmer air moves over the surrounding mountains. Fog forms when the frigid ground cools the air immediately above it. The cooling air thickens into fog as water condenses. Air farther from the Earth’s surface is warmed by the sun, trapping the layer of cold air beneath it. The condition is called a temperature inversion, and it can last several days.When the fog begins to clear it typically moves from north to south down the lake. From the deck of our float cabin we can often see it flowing back through First Narrows.
Weatheroffice
Sunshine Coast
10:37 AM PST Friday 26 December 2008
Snowfall warning
5 to 15 cm of snow can be expected today
This is a warning that significant snowfall is expected or occurring in these regions. Monitor weather conditions.
A frontal system approaching the coast will bring strong winds and a mixed bag of precipitation today through Saturday. Strong winds up to 90 km/h ahead of the warm front will prevail over the coastal sections of the central coast through this evening.
But when it's done, Powell River will be a winter paradise that can be explored by hiking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, quads and snowmobiles. Come visit us soon.
Please visit the Sky Watch Friday site. There you will see other sky photos from all over the world! -- Margy
If you read my post yesterday, you know that we had good traveling weather to drive back to our home to Powell River, BC. However, not long after we arrived the snow started to fall.
When we got up this morning, the ground, trees and roofs were very white. It snowed about 5 cm (2 in) overnight and it's still snowing big wet flakes. We decided to walk to our favourite breakfast spot, Starvin Marvin's. A hot cup of coffee was just the ticket to warm our fingers and noses.
On the way back home, we stopped by the marina to see the boats in their very white overcoats. Here in Coastal BC we don't get much snow, so it's fun. On the other hand, I'm not sure my car will make it up the hill to the shopping centre for some needed groceries.
I guess it's a good thing we don't live in Edmonton. Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy are we when everything gets very white! -- Margy
I love clouds and Powell Lake is a great place to find some beautiful examples. Here's the view looking south through First Narrows with the glacial eroded Bunster Hills in the distance.
On a calm day there are clouds above and clouds below.
Reflect on that. -- Margy
