Canada Day in Ottawa a Washout

Parliament Hill in Ottawa was washed out from thunderstorms

Canada celebrated its 159th birthday today. This morning in Vancouver we enjoyed a pancake breakfast, where we ate pancakes topped with sliced strawberries, maple syrup and whipped cream, and a side of sausages.

It was a beautiful day in Vancouver, but in the nation's capital, Ottawa, the celebrations there were literally a washout.

Extreme weather led to severe thunderstorms that resulted in outdoor concerts, fireworks and even the last performance by the Canadian Forces Snowbirds to be cancelled.

Pancake breakfast for Canada Day

"In the interest of public safety and due to extreme weather and the condition of the site, we unfortunately have made the difficult decision to cancel the National Canada Day Evening Show," Canadian Heritage wrote.

There was so much rain in Ottawa that there was flooding in some areas and power outages. 

Even Prime Minister Mark Carney was prevented from flying to Edmonton to deliver his Canada Day speech because of the thunderstorms in Ottawa.

Earlier in the day he was flipping pancakes in his own riding in an Ottawa suburb and gave a speech encouraging Canadians to remain united.

Carney said Canadians have stood strong in the face of global challenges, "working together, resolutely, to build our future. Because in a crisis, fortune favours the bold."

Alas this crisis drowned out any fortunes for today... All we can say is, hopefully the weather will be better next year for Canada's 160th?

Picture of the Day: Plum Blossom

Some plum blossoms in their pink glory

Vancouver is in the middle of a deluge of rain this week, and today miraculously there was a bit of respite, so I went out for a walk.

The plum blossoms are out and I took a picture of some for all to enjoy.

That is all.

Fog That Wraps Around Vancouver

There's been some dramatic photos of Vancouver these days

Vancouver has had over a week of fog, a very unusual occurrence, and hopefully tomorrow evening will be the last day. Environment Canada has issued fog advisory warnings for pedestrians and motorists to be careful on the roads because at times there can be zero visibility.

The fog is caused by a ridge of high pressure, trapping moisture; one meteorologist explained it like steam trapped in a pot covered with a lid. In the past several days there has been hardly any wind to blow the fog away.

The Lions Gate Bridge enveloped in fog

As a result Vancouverites have been hearing a lot of foghorns, as ships depend on them to navigate waterways when there is limited visibility.

"In restricted visibility situations, such as on foggy days, these international regulations require anchored ships to sound their horn every minute and transiting ships to sound their horn every two minutes," explained Port of Vancouver spokesperson Sarah Matek.

Driving around the city enveloped with fog can be daunting at times, with some areas where you can hardly see anything, and others are clear. By evening the fog rolls in again and driving in the dark without cars in front of you can also be kind of scary. 

Last night an Uber driver told me of other motorists crossing the road lines into incoming traffic because they couldn't see where they were going!

The fog may dissipate by Thursday night

That said it's been a boon for photographers, both amateur and professional to take some dramatic shots of Vancouver.

Vancouver's Green Christmas

Vancouver will have a green, not white Christmas this year

It's going to be a very wet Christmas this year and hopefully Santa Claus is prepared with waterproof boots for the downpours in Vancouver.

These few days there are weather warnings from Environment and Climate Chance Canada of strong winds and a lot of precipitation.

Gusting winds are expected to arrive Monday evening, while on Christmas Day there will be a "powerful frontal system" bringing very strong winds and heavy rain.

On Boxing Day there will be a weaker low pressure storm that will bring more strong winds to the south coast.

Climate change has caused Canadian cities to lose many days below zero, which has severely affected winter sports like skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and skating.

Between 2014 and 2023, of all the Canadian cities, Vancouver has lost the most days below zero at 19, followed by Toronto at 13, Montreal 6 and Calgary 5.

In the same period, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have been the hardest hit, each having lost up to 23 wintery days.

Last year skiing on Vancouver's local mountains was literally a wash out as it rained so much. Last month the ski season started one week earlier with a lot of snow at first, but now the ski hills are wet instead of cold.

Skiing may soon be one of those sports that may disappear with the lack of snow...

Bomb Cyclone Hits Vancouver

Some fallen trees on the walking paths in Pacific Spirit Park

I have a good excuse for not being able to blog last night -- there was a bomb cyclone going through our area, which caused a blackout on various parts of Vancouver and Vancouver Island.

A bomb cyclone is not a made-up term, but one that weather forecasters have used for a while, but is rarely seen here. It's when masses of warm and cool air collide to create spiralling winds, and in this case they were swirling counter-clockwise, and there was also a rapid atmospheric pressure drop over 24 millibars (the unit to measure air pressure) in 24 hours. 

There were strong winds up to 70km/hr last night

Last night it formed around 400 km west of Tofino, BC and then went up Vancouver Island recording winds of up to 170km. It caused severe damage in terms of fallen trees and lots of electricity outages that are still ongoing as it is hard for BC Hydro crews to get to these areas (with the fallen trees on roads and highways).

Winds of up to 70km/h blew into Vancouver. Last night we had an early dinner in a restaurant, and when we came out just after 8pm there were strong gusts and some rain, but we didn't think too much of it. However, when we got closer to home we could see blocks of completely dark homes, and one of them was ours.

There wasn't much we could do except light up some candles, turn on flashlights and go to bed, around 10pm.

The power went back on at 1.15am... how do I know? Because a neighbour's house alarm went off, and was not immediately turned off... and then it went off again 30 minutes later. 

A lot of twigs and branches on the ground

Needless to say this morning I didn't get enough sleep!

I ventured out late morning to Pacific Spirit Park to survey the damage and while there were lots of twigs and branches on the ground, it was sad to see several trees had fallen overnight -- the ones along the walking paths. It will take the park rangers a few days to clear these routes.

Halloween 2024 Report

An elaborate Halloween display

This year Halloween was... wet.

We started around 5.30pm and soon after it started sprinkling and that soon turned into rain.

Even though the kids complained about the precipitation, they were still very keen about getting candy. Lots of it.

Free hugs? Yikes!

One house handed out cans of soda, another a full-size box of Smarties. Most handed out chocolates by hand, one or two with a chute, and some just left a box on the front porch with a sign instructing children to take one each. The kids' bags got heavy quite fast, but they were reluctant to relinquish their bags of candy to their parents.

Some of the houses had fantastic decorations, lots of web-like cotton spread over shrubs, graves half opened with feet or hands sticking out, lots of skeletons hanging about. There was even one made of plastic milk jugs. So clever!

One had a pumpkin carved with a gerbil or hamster, while another had three intricately-carved gourds, one with a Celtic weave, an owl and a heart. "They did a lot of work," my nephew remarked about their pumpkins.

The other nephew is terrified of scary noises and refused to go to the houses that had eerie sounds coming out of them. But he would happily go to the other ones "that aren't scary". 

At one point we found shelter at a church that had police managing traffic at the intersection. We got some piping hot chocolate, and the kids got more candy and played with friends. There were other refreshments like hot dogs, mandarin oranges, tea, coffee, apples and popcorn.

Intricately carved owl pumpkin

While the kids played, some parents sat on folding chairs staring at their phones, while others chit chatted amongst themselves. It was a nice respite from the rain before we headed out again.

Amazingly the kids lasted for just over two hours and still keen on collecting more candy when we almost got home. One house had two skeletons dressed up looking out the window...

Picture of the Day: Slugs Surfacing

Moving ever so slowly along the ground...

The last few days have been overcast with showers and last night lots of rain, which is a relief to trees and gardens that are severely parched this summer.

Yesterday I went for a walk in Pacific Spirit Park and like the previous two days I encountered many slugs!

They make their way across the trails at a glacial pace, as people pass them by while walking, running or cycling.

Spotted a green one too!

I had to look up online why I was seeing so many slugs and came across this answer:

"Both snails and slugs rely on moisture to survive. Their bodies dry out quickly when they are active without moisture to support them. 

"This is why they only become active when it rains or when you've recently watered your garden. In addition, most slugs are typically active at night because it's cooler and more humid (plus there are fewer predators to hunt them)."

It's interesting I haven't come across this many slugs before in the forest!

While I was walking, a family crossed paths with me, and the mother said her daughter wanted me to watch out for a slug up ahead! Kids really do care about nature!

Picture of the Day: Hail in August

Golfball-sized hail in Calgary today -- in August!

When I saw pictures of snow in Calgary on Twitter, I didn't believe it at first -- until I heard the news report on the radio saying there were reports of hail -- in August -- and rainfall in southern Alberta tonight.

One thunderstorm produced hail the size of golfballs that cause severe damage to car windshields. 

"This is a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation," a post read on Environment Canada's website.

"Extremely large hail can smash windows, destroy property and vehicles and cause life-threatening injury. Strong wind gusts can toss loose objects, damage weak buildings, break branches off trees and overturn large vehicles."

The hail and heavy rainfall were so bad that they caused damage in the domestic terminal building of YYC Calgary International Airport. 

"We are prioritising the safety of all guests and staff and clearing the impacted area. We are currently assessing the damage and its impact to operations," read a statement, adding that no injuries have been reported at this time.

The damage, which included ceiling panels falling down, has resulted in delays and cancellations in flights. 

Another sign that climate change is definitely here? How much longer can Alberta Premier Danielle Smith deny it? Devastating wildfires in Jasper and now golfball-sized hail in August?

Kayaking in Juneau, Alaska

Looking across the bay at Mendenhall Glacier

This morning we arrived in Juneau, Alaska, but by lunchtime it was raining which did not bode well for my kayaking trip. However, by the time we arrived at Auke Bay via a school bus for a 20-minute ride, the rain had tapered off with a slight sprinkle and blue skies opened up.

We got ready with a kayak spray skirt so our trousers wouldn't get soaked, and a life jacket on top. Our guide Michael from Alaska Shore Tours made sure each of us was tightly strapped into our life jackets and then we went to the shore and had a quick lesson on how to kayak even though all of us had kayaked before.

Our kayaks on shore ready for some paddling

Soon after we got into the water and began paddling. Across the bay we could see Mendenhall Glacier, in Tongass National Forest. The glacier is shrinking every year; since 1929 it has retreated 2.82km, and climate change has accelerated its retreat even further. 

In the distance Michael pointed out Admiralty Island where there are a large number of brown and black bears that live there. 

He also told us that we were in high tide so the chances of seeing orcas was slim -- they usually appear in low tide, when the fish and other food are concentrated and easier for the orcas to feed. Two weeks earlier a group of kayakers were able to see a pod of orcas.

The weather cooperated for the most part

Nevertheless, we were able to see three seals in the distance. They can hold their breath for 30 minutes, so if they pop up and then go down, you may not see them again. The same goes for orcas, though they can hold their breaths for an hour.

We also saw a tern, a small white bird with a black-shaped helmet on its head. Michael explained these migratory birds fly as far down as Antarctica. Quite amazing. 

As we made our way back to shore, we encountered sandbars 1ft down and made sure we avoided them -- Michael said if you hear the waves as if they are lapping on the shore, then there are sandbars nearby. Periodically we got sprinkles of rain, but no downpour. We were all so happy the way the weather turned out.

Once we avoided this hurdle we paddled hard to get back to shore. After we took off the life jacket and kayak spray skirt there were some snacks waiting for us, as well as some warm apple cider. Michael kept asking us if we had a good time -- he was eager to have a good review on Google -- and then we got back on the bus.

Beautiful blue skies on our afternoon kayaking

Definitely a memorable trip and a fun arm workout!

Picture of the Day: Spring is Blooming

Lovely magnolias in bloom under blue skies

This weekend we had almost summer-like temperatures with a high of 15 degrees! 

With that comes signs of spring -- first it was snowdrops and then crocuses, and now the magnolias and plum blossoms are beginning to bloom.

Plum blossoms in fierce pink

I have only seen plum blossoms so far -- cherry blossoms are more dense in terms of petals, and dusty pink in colour; I hope to see the city "pinked out" as writer and artist Douglas Coupland has described Vancouver in spring.

While it's lovely to see all these flowers coming out, my sinuses are frazzled!

My allergies are back with a vengeance!

Last year I didn't suffer from allergies after being in Hong Kong for so long, but perhaps my body has adjusted and now I'm getting itchy eyes and am prone to sneezing.

I'm taking some mild medication for now, and hope these allergies will be over soon!

Watery Weather Woes

The continuous downpour in Vancouver has been depressing

Since the massive snowfall ended last week, Vancouver has been soaking wet. It was great to have the rain help melt the snow away quickly, but now the endless rain is pretty depressing.

And this weekend Environment Canada has warned that heavy rainfall could cause flooding in parts of Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and Metro Vancouver.

The heaviest rainfall is expected between Sunday night and Monday.

Lots of snow paralysed parts of the city

Not only that, but warmer temperatures mean freezing levels will be higher. What would freeze at 2,000 metres, will now freeze at between 2,500 to 3,000 metres.

That means rain and now snow on local mountains. It was so bad that Mount Seymour had to close today (Saturday) because of weather, while on Grouse Mountain, lessons after 1pm were cancelled. Cypress Mountain was the only one fully open.

This year's ski season has been a washout. Literally.

On a bright note, yesterday I managed to get a walk in the forest without a drop of precipitation. However, about two hours later as forecasted, it began to rain and it has not let up since.

What a January! Freezing temperatures, massive snowfall and now a deluge of rain...

Freezing Temperatures in HK

Frost was spotted at Tai Mo Shan, which was at -2.4 degrees

One thing I don't miss in Hong Kong is the cold temperatures during winter.

It would be colder inside than outside, and there's only so much hot water you can drink to keep warm.

Today Hong Kong recorded temperatures down to 6 degrees Celsius, and up on the city's highest mountain, Tai Mo Shan, there was frost on the trees and shrubs where it was -2.4 degrees Celsius.

The city recorded 6 degrees Celsius today

Remember back in January 2016 when some 100 people went to Tai Mo Shan to see frost and then were stranded on the mountain and some 300 firefighters had to rescue them?

This time the roads going to and from Tai Mo Shan were closed at midnight due to cold weather.

"I hope citizens can consider whether they have the ability or equipment to chase frost as this poses a huge risk to themselves and a huge challenge to the firefighters, said Jerry Nip Yuen-fung, chairman of the Fire Services Department Staff General Association.

"These people affect society greatly if they persist without thinking through the consequences."

Instead of finding frost, best to try to stay warm with layers and sit next to a heater...

Snow Day in Vancouver

Trees covered in snow made for a beautiful sight today

We were warned ahead of time there would be a big snowstorm starting at midnight on Wednesday and the weather forecast was correct. Late in the evening Vancouver started to get a dusting of snow that continued for hours and hours... 

This morning we woke up to the white stuff -- a lot of it. 

Vancouver got a record 28cm today

Schools, including post-secondary ones closed for the day, much to the thrill of students. Today was the start of Dine Out Vancouver, where restaurants offer set meals at discounted prices. But the terrible road conditions caused some restaurants to close for the day, while some shops and museums closed early.

Around 9am I went out to start shovelling the snow off the sidewalks around our house and there was over 20cm accumulated already. It was tough going because the snow was already so thick and still coming down fast. 

Today we got a total of 28cm, a record for January 17, smashing the 1962 record of 13.5cm!

After I managed to clear both sidewalks and walkways to our home, I was dismayed to find there was already a light layer of snow covering the area I had just shovelled earlier.

So about an hour later I went out again, and after lunch, and one more time in the late afternoon with the shovel. By that time it was much easier to clear the walkways, but it had to be done to prevent it from accumulating too much.

By late afternoon the snow stopped falling for a bit and I tried to go out for a walk. Some neighbours did shovel the snow, doing an even better job than me, while others completely neglected this chore and it was difficult to walk at times. 

A smiling Henry Moore-like snow sculpture

Nearby is a park and it was nice to see young children having fun tobogganing down the slope, or making snowmen. One of them looked like a Henry Moore statue. It was quite a sight to see snow on the tree branches creating a beautiful scene.

The park is next to a main road and it was mostly cleared of snow, though the dirt from the cars had already turned the snow on the street into an ugly brown slush.

And tomorrow's weather will not be pretty -- tonight the temperature drops below zero, causing everything to freeze into ice, and then in the early evening on Thursday there will be freezing rain at 1 degree Celsius.

Already some post-secondary schools have cancelled classes again tomorrow. Better safe than sorry.

Vancouver's Unusual Deep Freeze

Patches of ice in this running stream in the forest

Since Thursday, Metro Vancouver has been in a deep freeze, with temperatures well below zero not only overnight, but during the day as well.

The snow on the roads disappeared somehow, resulting in the city experiencing a dry cold winter. It was so cold that people were skating on some local ponds.

To walk outside, one has to seriously bundle up with a toque, scarf, puffy jacket, long johns, sweater, socks and boots. Oh yes and gloves too. Anyone wearing less than that would be considered mad, like the guy I saw this afternoon wearing shorts.

In the early afternoon there was a weather alert to say the arctic outflow warning had ended, and that warmer temperatures were coming. 

That means tomorrow's temperature will be a high of -2 degrees Celsius during the day, and -6 degrees at night.

Whoohoo!

On Tuesday things get interesting with the possibility of snow in the afternoon or evening until Wednesday morning and then it will warm up to 6 degrees!

And then rest of the week will be raining... back to regular Vancouver weather...

Illuminating the Garden with Festival of Lights

Lovely reflections make for great photos

With a friend visiting Vancouver for the first time, it was apt to take him to an annual Vancouver tradition -- the Festival of Lights at VanDusen Botanical Garden to get into the Christmas spirit. 

It's a clever way to get people to visit the garden during the winter months by decorating it with hundreds of thousands of lights which makes it a stunner for pictures. Many families go with senior members to the littlest ones for family photos, or young couples take selfies. 

After dark the lights make the garden stunning

The previous years I've gone the low temperatures meant we had to really bundle up -- including wearing long underwear to keep warm. But this year it's a very mild 8 degrees and we were very comfortable walking around without the need of gloves or a hat.

Every year the garden is decorated slightly differently to keep it interesting for visitors who come annually. Other years have featured well known cartoon characters like the Grinch and Olaf from Frozen, but this year it was Frosty the Snowman and his family, as there were two other snow people that were slightly smaller. 

Upon entering the garden a security guard made sure people didn't bring in food or drinks because they wanted visitors to shell out at the various food kiosks scattered around the garden. Strangely there were Japadogs, banh mi, arancini risotto balls, and popcorn, as well as hot chocolate and mulled wine. Oh don't forget the mini donuts, made right before your eyes by an automated machine!

We arrived as the sun was setting, so it wasn't until it was darker did the illuminated garden really shine. The pond was particularly amazing with the reflection in the water, and the periodic flashing of lights to the music.

Festival of Lights is an annual Christmas tradition

Also the weather held up and didn't rain which was a big plus. 

Vancouver Snow Chaos Continues

A snarled mess of cars in downtown Vancouver 

Today was another snow day... overnight Vancouver received some 10 cm of fresh snow and I spent a good hour or so shovelling again. This time it was harder as freezing rain was coming down so the snow was heavier to shovel. 

The freezing rain lifted when I almost finished the shovelling (figures) and just to be safe I went back to salt the sidewalks and our walkway. I also managed to locate the city water drains underneath the snow and clear them.

Port Mann Bridge was shut down most of the day

That's because this afternoon temperatures were going from minus 3 degrees to plus 1 degree and rain.

Despite the rising temperatures, everyone was advised not to go out as the roads were extra slick -- and judging from the traffic reports I heard in the morning and afternoon, there were a lot of cars spun out, got into accidents -- or even lost their wheels.

The weather situation was so bad that even the Port Mann and Alex Fraser bridges were shut down from later morning onwards. Skytrain was struggling and so were the buses and ferries. 

Shop owners are fretting with yet another shopping day lost before Christmas. Tomorrow will be a mad rush if anyone has left their gift-buying to the last minute. Some news reports say business owners are already looking towards Boxing Day to make up for pre-Christmas sales. 

And there are still people stranded at Vancouver International Airport, but finally YVR has stepped up and offered hotel rooms to passengers who have been stuck there for days, with priority for the elderly, and with young children. They are also trying to sort out Christmas meals for people who are still here on Sunday.

Late yesterday WestJet proactively cancelled all its flights at YVR and Toronto Pearson and Air Canada cancelled most of its flights too, which gave YVR an opportunity to clear its backlog and allow international flights to land. 

After almost three years of the Covid-19 pandemic, people were hoping to meet up with friends and loved ones, and now a nasty winter storm has prevented many from meeting up. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day -- with temperatures shooting up to 7 degrees! And more rain...

Picture of the Day: Autumn's Disappearance

A few days ago Vancouver looked like this

Where has autumn gone?

Only a few days ago I enjoyed an invigorating walk in the forest, the sky was blue and temperatures at a warm 10 degrees. The autumn leaves looked even more vibrant.

But today the rain came back, sprinkling at first in the morning and then the weather became more showery and wet. 

By late afternoon the rains were heavier.

I walked 10 minutes to the bus stop, and before I reached it, my socks were wet -- I wasn't going home for another five hours which mean cold, wet feet.

On my way home the winds picked up and I was freezing and wet! Not a nice combination.

As I walked home I tried to remind myself I was almost there, and the first order of business would be to remove those wet socks that made my feet so cold! Is this what winter is going to be like and even colder?

Tomorrow the rains are coming back even more so. Boots are a must!