Vancouver Weather: We Actually Had Some! Memories of 2006
Wild times in Vancouver over the past three months ... and I'm not talking about the club scene or hockey riots. We're usually known as the paradise of the north, and after a long, glorious summer and a delightfully mild fall, we felt understandably smug. Then ... WHAM! We were pounded in November with record rains that triggered landslides into the reservoirs and precipitated the largest “boil water” advisory in Canadian history. For twelve days we kept large unattractive pots on top of stoves and stood in long queues to buy 19-gallon water containers (which I lugged back and forth in my tiny car).
On a more sober note, we take instant access to clean water for granted here. It's worth reflecting on how many folks in this world do not ... and why that is.
Still, we were just getting used to hauling water when an Artic cold front combined with a lot of moisture settled in over us, dumping well over 30 centimetres of snow over the Lower Mainland. (The happy seasonal montage below shows scenes a few metres from our front door on November 27.)
In typical fashion for Vancouver, the snow paralyzed the entire city. At the same time, the boil-water advisory was lifted … but we were too busy chipping ice to notice, for after the snow we had three days that just grazed the minus double-digits (or about 10 - 15 F). Awwww--tough!… you might very well say if you’re used to winters in Minnesota, but believe me, Vancouverites deeply resent not being able to wear shorts or eat outside year-round.
But soon the “pineapple express” moved in again, and within a few days all the snow was gone. Just as we were taking a deep breath and thinking about Christmas shopping, we were knocked askew by three windstorms in a row. Peak wind speeds on Fri. Dec. 15, the third and worst storm, were clocked at well over 100 km hour (t60 - 70 mph). Transit again ground to a halt, Stanley Park lost hundreds of century-old trees, and power lines went down all over the area. My husband and I were in the dark less than an hour, but our daughter, her husband, and their 8-week-old baby went three days without heat, light, or (horrified gasp) the ability to microwave frozen dinners!
Now, over a week later, we're back to winter status quo: "cloudy with showers and a chance of sun." As the old year enters its final days, we dare to hope that the meteorological excitement is over.
Wherever you are, may your 2007 be fair, calm, and prosperous!
On a more sober note, we take instant access to clean water for granted here. It's worth reflecting on how many folks in this world do not ... and why that is.
Still, we were just getting used to hauling water when an Artic cold front combined with a lot of moisture settled in over us, dumping well over 30 centimetres of snow over the Lower Mainland. (The happy seasonal montage below shows scenes a few metres from our front door on November 27.)
In typical fashion for Vancouver, the snow paralyzed the entire city. At the same time, the boil-water advisory was lifted … but we were too busy chipping ice to notice, for after the snow we had three days that just grazed the minus double-digits (or about 10 - 15 F). Awwww--tough!… you might very well say if you’re used to winters in Minnesota, but believe me, Vancouverites deeply resent not being able to wear shorts or eat outside year-round.
But soon the “pineapple express” moved in again, and within a few days all the snow was gone. Just as we were taking a deep breath and thinking about Christmas shopping, we were knocked askew by three windstorms in a row. Peak wind speeds on Fri. Dec. 15, the third and worst storm, were clocked at well over 100 km hour (t60 - 70 mph). Transit again ground to a halt, Stanley Park lost hundreds of century-old trees, and power lines went down all over the area. My husband and I were in the dark less than an hour, but our daughter, her husband, and their 8-week-old baby went three days without heat, light, or (horrified gasp) the ability to microwave frozen dinners!
Now, over a week later, we're back to winter status quo: "cloudy with showers and a chance of sun." As the old year enters its final days, we dare to hope that the meteorological excitement is over.
Wherever you are, may your 2007 be fair, calm, and prosperous!