This weekend, especially Saturday night and into Sunday, is going to be very wet. The models are currently predicting up to 120mm by the end of Monday.

You can expect the first bout of showers to starting this evening. Then there should be a bit of a break on Friday before the main system comes in on Saturday and beats us up Saturday, Sunday and into Monday.

Looks like there is a possibility of some wind on Saturday night. THe low that is bringing all of this is forecast to be producing Hurricane force winds offshore as it passes West and North of us and up towards Haida Gwaii and the Panhandle.
Both of the charts below will update over time…

Below is the 48hr chart, you can see the low that is going to give us trouble.

Here’s the 24hr chart… the low is much farther south towards Hawaii.

Standard warnings apply, keep your drains clear and bring in the patio furniture tomorrow if you’ve been putting it off since August. 🙂 (like me).

One final note.

If you haven’t already signed the Petition demanding coal to be transported by train to Port Alberni, or not at all… it is now available online to sign here:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/norailnocoal/

Please pass it along. It is open to anyone on Vancouver Island. It will affect all of us. And more information is available at: http://www.norailnocoal.ca

Here’s an animation I made:

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8 thoughts on “Wet Weekend ahead

  1. So one major problem I see is where is the coal being stored between ships? Is Port Alberni going to have the luxury of viewing big ugly piles of coal all the time, which their incipient risk of airborne coal dust?
    Not to mention where would the train turn around and unload? Or the trucks unload?

  2. *The Coal Company and Port Authority Say* (ie. take that for what it’s worth)

    That the coal storage facility will be completely enclosed. There will be no open coal piles on the harbour. It is slated to be in a large shed/warehouse type structure just south of the Port Authority office with the truck/train unloading point on the corner of Harbour Rd. and ?? (the road that goes up beside the sawmill) There is a parking lot there that they have identified.

    The rail company is looking at how the rail line would have to work… either creating a large loop, or a couple extra sidings for the train to be split up on.

    I’ve put together a page suggesting a better place to put all the stuff… I submitted this during the Federal Comment period.

    http://www.norailnocoal.ca/where-do-we-put-it/

  3. Hey Chris,
    I went to the website and signed the petition. I do see they have an alternate location at the pulp mill that might work. I guess if the this goes through I will get busier at work with the increased deep-sea traffic up the canal. Maybe the Cape Beale pilot station will be re-established!

  4. It would take around 21 days for them to fill the ships… so you’re probably looking at a ship every 3 weeks. Not huge traffic, but certainly steady.

    Where did you see the alternate location at the pulp mill?

  5. Is it still looking like big wind? Oh, how exciting!!!!!!Wind warnings up for all around EXCEPT US! As usual….I’m thinkin’ I should move to Haida Gwaii

  6. Chris:

    The alternate site was listed in one of the links provided at norailnocoal.ca. I thought that was kinda interesting.

  7. Yes, that was my invention, not the company’s. 🙂

    I submitted it as a part of my submission to the Federal environmental review and I’ve sent to the managers of Catalyst, Southern Rail and John Tapics for their consideration.

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