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.

Fall Continues!

Looks like around 2AM this morning we had a major burst of rain. The same wasn’t recorded at the Harbour Quay station, but it looks like it’s having problems as we have had 16mm and they have had 1mm recorded today. Nicks weather station looks to have recorded a similar event up where he is in Cameron Heights (i think?). We haven’t had a rain event that strong since August last year and November 2006 when we had the major flooding. Thankfully this one only lasted for a matter of minutes rather than hours.

Was anybody up, or awakened, by a major downpour overnight? Would be great to get confirmation. Either way though, it’s going to stay wet all day. Should dry up for tomorrow and Monday/Tuesday before another system comes in Wednesday and Thursday.

UPDATE: Me have da bad gramar and fat fingers today. I fix all up now.

UPDATE 2: Wow. This doesn’t happen often, so definitely worth an update.. especially if you have friends or family in Mexico. No danger for Baja yet, but Manzanillo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta will all be getting some weather from this.

Hurricane RIck off the Pacific coast of Mexico has intensified into a “Spectacular”, 155knot (288kph) Category 5 Hurricane.

From the NOAA:

the satellite presentation of Hurricane Rick can be expressed in one word…spectacular. The eye is quite distinct and is surrounded by very deep convection. On the last available visible images one could see the sunlight reflecting off the eastern side of the eyewall and the stadium effect that is typical of intense hurricanes.

Here’s that Visible satellite shot: (Click for large)

Based on these data..the initial intensity has been increased to 155 knots. This makes Rick the second strongest hurricane on record in the eastern Pacific after Linda in 1997.
There is an opportunity for Rick to gather a little more strength tonight or early Sunday…

Here’s another shot, infrared this time from wunderground. (Click image for large)

Wow.