vancouver - the storms - the next round

[SpongeG]

is upon us

i hear traffic is already a mess in most places

A tree fell on a car on highway #1 at 176th east bound and its just at a stand still

they say the winds are really strong from chilliwack to coquitlam

and the salt trucks and snow plows are all ready to go for tonights blast of snow

and power outages are already being reported in various spots

[Canadian Mind]

yea, we were nailed here on the island this morning. schools power is okay, but its been ou since 6 am at home.

[SpongeG]

just came over the radio that they have shut down Stanley Park - all roads the causeway and lions gate are closed - due to the wind storm

only way to the north shore is ironworkers bridge

[chuber]

If it makes you guys feel any better Edmonton is under a weather warning too. Blizzard conditions and then a high of about minus 30.

That said, I hope the damage in your area is kept to a minimum. It is a shame to see so much damage to one of the most beautiful areas in Canada.

[SpongeG]

the trees across the street are swaying away - its sort of like being on a ship

[Calgarian]

Is this kind of stuff normal for Van? I have never heard of wind storms on the lower mainland before, and snows are few and far between.

[SpongeG]

its not that normal - but it happens but we just had a storm 3 days ago and now again

reports of snow in richmond, UBC

where i am in burnaby its clear and the sun is out giving amazing light on the trees and buildings and the wind has died down

according to the radio there is power outages all over the place, trees down in many places

[mr.x]

yea, an hour ago out in Vancouver West near UBC we had heavy blowing snow everywhere.

[Lead]

The weather has been really fucked up the last three months. We've had way more storms then we ever usually would at any point in the year. Power outtages are becoming common when they were usually quite rare, at least where I live. Even though the snow always melts quite fast we've had more of it then we've had in at least a decade. Stanley Park has also never taken a beating like this before, storm after storm the damage just seems to get worse. If it's any indication Vancouver has gotten a lot of attention in the media and it's because of all these storms, with Stanley Park, BC Place roof collapsing, water turbility, power outtages, it's all because of these storms.

[Smron]

El Nino.

[SpongeG]

Another windstorm hits West Coast, smashing empty vehicle in Stanley Park at 21:47 on January 9, 2007, EST.

VANCOUVER (CP) - Another windstorm has lashed the B.C. coast, smashing into already ravaged Stanley Park where it knocked down more trees and briefly blocked a tour bus.

Winds gusting to almost 100 kilometres an hour hit Vancouver mid-afternoon Tuesday. Trees were down around Vancouver Park Board's head office in the park and elsewhere, said spokeswoman Terri Clark.

"One actually smashed one of the park board vehicles but nobody to our knowledge has been hurt," she said.

Clark said officials closed the sprawling downtown park to visitors as soon as the storm hit.

The sudden storm was awe-inspiring to watch as it raced across English Bay, she said.

"It was amazing the way it changed," Clark said. "A white squall came across the bay. It was something to behold.

"It just spun its way toward our building and all hell broke loose. The wind was gusting up over 80 kilometres an hour. I've never seen anything like it in 34 years."

Clark said the storm also closed the Lions Gate bridge and Stanley Park causeway linking Vancouver to the North Shore suburbs just as the afternoon commuter rush began.

The blast also flattened the park's tennis court fence, said Clark, but further assessment will have to wait because workers were at roadblocks turning away rubber-necking visitors.

"It's amazing the number of people who want to get out there and see what's going on," she said. "We've had our work cut out telling people, assuring them that this is the place they do not want to be right now."

Park board crews are still assessing the damage from a ferocious mid-December windstorm that knocked down thousands of trees and caused landslides in Stanley Park.

The cleanup and replanting bill is expected to run into millions of dollars and several public appeals for money are underway to augment taxpayer funds.

The sudden storm Tuesday forced crews working to repair the inflatable roof of B.C. Place stadium to retreat. A section was torn open by another windstorm last Friday forcing a controlled deflation of the roof.

An Environment Canada wind warning remained in effect for the Vancouver area with winds predicted up to 90 kilometres an hour, diminishing to about 50 kilometres an hour by late evening.

The city also faced a snowfall warning for Wednesday.

Elsewhere in British Columbia, blizzard and wind conditions may have played a part in the crash-landing of a small plane carrying 10 passengers and two crew members at Fort St. John airport.

No one was injured when the aircraft left the runway but its landing gear was broken off.

The B.C. Highways Ministry issued a long list of travel advisories for highways affected by heavy snow, blowing snow and the threat of avalanches.

Parks Canada closed the Trans Canada Highway through the Rockies between Revelstoke and Golden because of an large avalanche affecting the highway and Canadian Pacific Railway.

The slide sent debris two metres deep and 150 metres long across the highway, with a 270-metre swath covering the CP Rail line.

A search found that no vehicles or trains were caught in the avalanche, which was expected to keep the highway closed until around 7 a.m. local time.

http://www.940news.com/nouvelles.php?cat=23&id=10993

[SpongeG]

High winds knock down trees, power lines in B.C.
Updated Tue. Jan. 9 2007 10:38 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

High winds are knocking down trees and power lines on the West Coast, in the latest bout of nasty weather to hit the region.


One falling tree in Vancouver's Stanley Park struck and injured a woman who was jogging at the time.


"I was just walking through the park and a girl passed me going the other way," witness Willy Taylor told CTV Vancouver.


"The wind picked up and we were about 10 feet apart. We heard a big crack -- I ran one way and she ran the other way and the tree came down. When it fell I couldn't see her, so I spread the branches and there she was, beneath the tree."


Other trees toppled over and struck several vehicles. The same park lost thousands of trees during a brutal Dec. 15 storm.


High winds bend back trees and near rip flags from their poles.


B.C.'s Lynn Canyon Valley took a beating from the wind storm Tuesday, and tourists were forbidden from travelling across it's famous suspension bridge.


"Today is just terrible. I walk around the trails and there's a lot of trees that fall down," one park user told CTV Vancouver.


Meanwhile, trails at nearby Draycott Park have been completely cut off by fallen trees. Warning signs are posted outside the entrances of at least five parks in North Vancouver.


"We haven't left North Vancouver since the winter storms," said arborist Stan Chaloner. "Since then, we've probably had about five days off."


The district has brought in additional crews to clear up the damage, predicting more storms will bring further damage.


But parks aren't the only B.C. landmarks hit by the storm. Work to repair the B.C. Place Stadium roof was delayed because of the inclement weather.


"We basically have to watch what the roof does and how it reacts to the direction of the wind and its speed," said David Bachand of MDB Consulting.


At Vancouver's airport, winds were gusting up to 98 kilometres per hour.


Winds also damaged power lines, cutting off power to about 89,000 BC Hydro customers in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley.


The company hopes to restore electricity by midnight or early Wednesday morning.


Meanwhile, an avalanche in eastern B.C. forced the closer of the Trans-Canada Highway between Revelstoke and Golden on Tuesday.


Frigid snow storms are also hitting northern B.C., prompting travel warnings for several other highways.


With reports from CTV Vancouver

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...ub=CTVNewsAt11

[crazyjoeda]

My power was out for a few hours today, its back on now. It has just started snowing like crazy, its wet but its coming down hard. In just 20min from when it started it has burried my grass. BTW its also very windy again.

I really hope my classes are cancelled, I go to Kwantlen in Ricmond and I live in South Surrey. It can be a very long drive when it snows.

[freeweed]

We're looking at the mother of all El Ninos if this keeps up. Hot, dry summer with near-drought conditions across much of the country. Southern Alberta just got whopped by some incredible winds comparable to what Vancouver is seeing (100+ kph), and are a direct result of a huge El Nino forming in the Pacific. The last time I remember seeing this much activity this early was 1990 or 1991, and we had some scorching summers back then.

There's a LOT of equatorial heat built up to bleed off, and a pathetic (nearly non-existent) hurricane season just means we're seeing the effects now. I'm sure someone will find a way to blame this on anthropogenic climate change though, because we've ***NEVER*** had weird weather before.

[SpongeG]

wow - its oddly calm here in this part of burnaby - no rain, no snow, no wind but it is freezing cold

[SpongeG]

Men shovel snow away from the wheels of a vehicle having difficulty in the snow in North Vancouver Wednesday January 10, 2007.(CP / Chuck Stoody)


A man gets a close up view of the crashing waves along the Stanley Park Seawall during a windstorm in Vancouver, B.C. (CP / Richard Lam)

B.C., Prairie residents face blizzard conditions
Updated Wed. Jan. 10 2007 1:59 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

B.C. and Prairie residents are all facing blizzard conditions Wednesday as snow continues to shut down roads and schools.

Rescuers near Dawson Creek in northeastern B.C. are struggling to get to blizzard-stranded motorists.

Gusting winds, combined with heavy snow wreaked havoc on roads in the Peace region overnight and Wednesday morning, stranding motorists on Braden Road between the Hart Highway and the Alaska Highway, The Canadian Press reports.

The RCMP, highway maintenance crews and emergency teams were trying to reach the motorists, the Provincial Emergency Program reported.

Messages were being broadcast to the stranded people via radio stations. They were advising them to remain in their cars, to run their engines periodically to stay warm, and to keep a window cracked to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

With wind chill factored in, temperatures in northeastern B.C. early Wednesday were a frigid minus-40C, said Glen Plummer, a spokesperson for PEP.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the province, heavy overnight snow was the latest addition to the weather woes facing southwestern British Columbia.

The snow began falling Tuesday night as the temperature plunged in the wake of another fierce windstorm.

Up to 10 centimetres is expected in Greater Victoria and the Fraser Valley on Wednesday, while five centimetres will land in Greater Vancouver, said Environment Canada.

On Tuesday, 100 kilometre-per-hour winds knocked down trees and power lines to more than 115,000 homes.

A falling tree in Vancouver's Stanley Park struck and injured a woman who was jogging at the time. Other trees were also knocked down by the winds, and several vehicles were struck.

The same park lost thousands of trees during a brutal Dec. 15 storm.

Almost 40,000 customers from Nanaimo to Chilliwack remained without power Wednesday as crews worked to repair the damage.

Additional crews have been brought in to help with the clean-up.

Meanwhile, an avalanche in eastern B.C. forced the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway between Revelstoke and Golden on Tuesday. The route was reopened Wednesday but warnings of a high avalanche hazard kept Highway 1 closed from east of Golden, B.C., to the Alberta border.


Prairies endure wintry blast


After enjoying weeks of above-normal temperatures, the Prairies are also getting a heavy dose of winter as a blizzard closed schools, cancelled flights and made roads impassible on Wednesday.

Motorists in central and northwestern Alberta are being warned to stay off the roads as the blizzard passes through much of the province.

In the Grande Prairie area, huge drifts have made most rural roads virtually impassable and forced schools to close.

Several flights at Edmonton International Airport were also delayed or cancelled.

Meanwhile, in Saskatchewan, the highway through North Battleford was closed due to zero visibility. Travel advisories were also given for motorists between Saskatoon and Regina.

Meteorologist Bob Cormier predicted much of the north of the province would be hit with blizzard conditions that could deliver up to 20 centimetres of snow.

Areas in the south were expected to get less snow, but would still face strong winds and blowing snow that would create low visibility conditions.

However, there was some good news, as 450 striking Saskatchewan snowplow operators went back to work after hitting the picket lines on the weekend.

The operators said they were concerned the public would be in danger if they didn't return to their jobs.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...hub=TopStories

[SpongeG]

Parts of B.C. were hit by yet another storm this week. (CP)


A tree lies on top of a Vancouver Park Board vehicle in Stanley Park after falling during a windstorm yesterday.
Photograph by : Richard Lam, Canadian Press

[SpongeG]

ok the snow is really falling now in Burnaby - the snowflakes are huge

i hope i can get home

[nname]

The snow is falling at a rate of 6.5cm/hour here at Port Coquitlam (that's how much snow on the ground an hour after I shovel them out). There is already about 30cm on the ground, and it is still coming down hard.

[SpongeG]

yeah - listening to the traffic reports its sounds bad the further east you get

hwy #1 is closed due to an accident - i think i heard someone say a helicopter went down?

lougheed highway in maple ridge is closed for a big stretch

a 15 car accident on canada way

trucks in ditches all over surrey

sounds freaky - i have to work untill 11 - so the traffic should be dead and i can go slowly home - without pissing people off

the snow is probably a lot more than they were saying too - they said it would be in the morning only - but it has been snowing non stop all afternoon