So we got up to 70kph this evening (18:20). That’s the point where I have to call in to Environment Canada as a Severe Weather Watcher. Which I did. The forecaster on the other end of the line sounded reasonably impressed. Obviously since they didn’t issue a warning for our area, they weren’t looking for winds that strong in our area. (Central VI)

So there you go Eve! Our first official wind and rain storm of the fall!

Pretty good one. We should get a dozen or so more millimeters or more of rain before it starts to clear up in the morning.

Hopefully it will blow through in time for the Olympic Torch to come through town on Sunday! You can check it out between 11:30AM and 12PM at Bob Dailey. Then it’ll be run through town, down 10th, Argyle, to the Lighthouse, to Harbour Quay by boat, then back onto land, down 3rd, onto a logging truck at Redford, and down Stamp and onward from there to the West Coast.

Oh, and if you’re looking for the Snow Contest, just click the link at the top left to enter your guess and see the calendar.

You can see the map for the torch relay route here.

It’s practically an institution! It’s Snow Contest time…. here are the rules:

When will we get measurable snow at the Alberniweather doorstep (6th and Redford)!?

Here are the rules:

#1: You must pick a date, hour, and minute (eg. July 3 12:45).

#2: Closest time wins.

#3: You must enter your guess in the comments section of this post.

#4: You can only pick once, so choose carefully.

#5: There will be a prize to the winner… to be announced at the time (because it’s more fun when you don’t know!) Last year was a fabulous Canadian Tire snow shovel.

#6: If my wife (Theresa) wins she will get a prize as will the next closest contestant.

#7: Only snow produced by actual weather is counted. (no confetti, ice shavings, or snow machines or other artificial methods:D)

#8: I reserve the right to add to these rules since I probably missed something. :)

#9: Guesses must be submitted by Midnight, 0:00PST the day of your guess. (ie. No guesses on the day of)
……….

So that’s it. Start picking! As your guesses start to come in I will put them on a Google Calendar so that you can see them all.

Remember, snow at the lake doesn’t necessarily mean snow in town!

Good Luck!

So yesterdays Climate Action Day events went off without a hitch. If you’d like to see pictures and a video of the days activities, head over to www.patransitions.net to check it out. And if you’d like to get involved in some real concrete work around reducing Carbon emissions and Energy consumption in the Alberni Valley, sign up and share your ideas!

So…. Yesterday there was a mention of possible flurries at the end of the 7 day forecast… that mention has disappear now, but that can only mean one thing!

SNOW CONTEST TIME!

I will make the arrangements and probably have the official contest post up tomorrow.

(OK, it’s supposed to be Sunny in the morning at least!)

In support of http://350.org and Climate Action Day

Event #1:
A Guided Hike up to Three Sisters. Starts from Coombs Country Candy at 9AM. 3 1/2 to 4hr hike. Bring a lunch!

Event #2:
Starting at 10AM and running all day, get ready to ride from Ozzys Cycle around South Port on a 10KM circuit. If we get enough people (35), we can do 350 total kilometers!

Event #3:
Starting at 12:30PM, head to Bob Dailey Stadium for a walk around the track.

Event #4:
At 2PM Join everyone from all of the days events for a gathering at Echo Centre in the Dogwood Room for a big photo op to send to New York, a short, fun presentation and a short film called The Story of Stuff.

And if you have business, or if you are a union leader in town… step up! Show your support for the planet and for your community by joining together and showing your biggest banners for the cameras!

We are having the largest number of events in one City on Vancouver Island… Come be a part of history!

http://350.org

Here are some pictures that are already coming in from around the world!

Ethiopia

Phillipines

Australia

New Zealand

Antarctica

You’ll notice on the satellite shot today a big swirl out south of the Aleutians. That swirl is currently packing our first North Pacific Hurricane Force winds of the season. It is slated to head up into the Gulf of Alaska and send a front our way on Tuesday. Looks like this is our next chance for a wind warning in the Alberni Valley. The West Coast already got one last week. The winds will be stronger than the previous storm. And looks like we’ll get a similar amount of rain. My wall base station (that sits between instruments and the server your view) is reporting the last few days of rain added up to 77mm of rainfall. Which is pretty close to the 90 we were slated for a few weeks earlier.

UPDATE: This mornings QuikScat (in the Satellites/Radar section) still shows plenty of 50 and 60knot winds around that low (the remnants of a Central Pacific Typhoon). It is swinging a massive front of wet our way, mainly headed toward Haida Gwaii. No wind though. Sorry Eve. It looks like there is just enough of a High Pressure ridge over top of us that it is pushing the lows up into the Gulf rather than tracking our way.