I’ve been swamped lately with…. life… and other commitments and things and just haven’t had the time to keep up with the blog here.

So my apologies for that.

In the next couple days I will get the Contest going on the first 30C day. Plus, I’ll see if I can scrounge up a sponsor for the contest so that maybe the prize is a little more exciting. :)

As for the weather. We missed another big blow yesterday morning. Parts of Vancouver got hit pretty hard apparently but all was calm around here. It’s going to stay cool and cloudy for the next couple days, but the Weekend is starting to look really fabulous.

UPDATED See Below

If we’re lucky and there is a break in the clouds tomorrow morning we might get a very rare opportunity to see the Space Shuttle Discover reenter the atmospher over us!

www.spaceweather.com reports that they will making a special early morningre-entry tomorrow if weather permits in Florida.

If they go for the first landing attempt we will see it starting at 5:23AM it will start from around Mt. Klitsa barely above the horizon and it should be at its highest directly to our north over the Beauforts, hopefully it’s high enough to clear the Beauforts (for us to see it :)) and it will finish near north of Mt. Cokely, maybe over the Lookout at 5:27Am.

If they go for the 2nd landing attempt we will see it starting at 6:58AM. It will be daylight, but you might still see the fireball, or at least hear the double sonic booms. It will start from around Mt. Klitsa but this time go over the Inlet and end up going down over Mt. Moriarty to the SE. The good news is it will be about twice as high in the sky as the first attempt would be (23 degrees about 1/4 the way up).

Hope for clearer skys!
———
So both re-entries tries were scrubbed Monday morning due to bad weather in Florida. They’re going to try again tomorrow morning. The new times are below:

Try #1: In the NorthWest and North sky between 4:08AM and 4:12AM

Try #2: In the North and East sky between 5:42AM and 5:47AM

So I’m thinking that since it’s going to be 20C tomorrow (in the forecast anyway). It’s probably time to fire up another contest.

What do people think? Should it be temperature? First to 25C? First to 30C? Or something a little different. Maybe First over 25C weekend. Or Longest stretch without rain? Or maybe pick a day that it will rain in the summer?

Put your suggestions in the comments here. There’s no reason we can’t have more than one contest. Maybe an easy one and a long one.

Anyway, enjoy the weather! It’s been beautiful this past few days. I and my family have been rather ill the past week or so so I couldn’t get to update the blog but the weather is helping now!

Oh… and by the way.

GO CANUCKS GO!

Happy Easter everyone.

The Easter Bunny has visited our place this morning. I hope he hopped over to your place too. And I hope those of you who are celebrated the more traditional Easter are enjoying it as well.

Weather-wise we will be having a little more wind and rain today. Nothing like Friday though. Of course, if you were in the City all day you probably didn’t notice anything! The wind came right out of the SE so the only thing I can figure is that our big mountain blocked it for us. Friends in Beaver Creek weren’t so lucky as the wind was able to swoop in over the Beauforts and cause some havoc. Still though, nothing like the Hurricane force (60knot/110kph) gusts they got on the East Coast (Saturna Island off Qualicum Beach, and in Mill Bay near Victoria.)

At some point, hopefully before the rain today. I will be heading up the ladder to do the seasonal cleaning of the station and switching of the Camera. The webcam can’t point at the sun, as it will burn in a spot in the lens, so now that the sun has risen enough in the sky I can swing it around to the South and get a nice view of downtown Port Alberni and the Inlet.

Now for the real forecast. :)

There is a Wind Warning in Effect.

Here’s the Synopsis from Environment Canada.

I’ve added emphasis for us.

Start:

Inland Vancouver Island
4:08 AM PDT Friday 02 April 2010
Wind warning for
Inland Vancouver Island continued

Winds southeast 60 to 80 km/h expected today over much of Vancouver Island, the southern gulf island and the Sunshine Coast.

Winds southeast 50 to 70 km/h expected today over metro Vancouver.

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

An intensifying pacific frontal system off the British Columbia coast is approaching Vancouver Island this morning. The associated low pressure centre is forecast to track across Central Vancouver island early this afternoon. Ahead of the low, winds are forecast to rise to southeast 60 to 80 km/h over most of the south coast. The low will then move into the interior this evening. In its wake, the winds will shift to the southwest and become very gusty through the evening.

Around when I was 10 or 11 I remember an Easter weekend when my parents were out for an Easter Lunch and my brother and I stayed home. It was crazy windy. We were watching TV, and all of a sudden heard this “crrraaaack”. And we watched a maple tree just off our property fall in towards us. Luckily it was far enough that it didn’t hit the house, but it did happen to fall right down the middle of a dogwood tree with a split trunk that “caught” it.

Won’t forget that. :)

Enjoy the Mother natures show tomorrow… stay safe.