Saturday, May 2, 2009

It was quite wet here yesterday with some periods of very heavy rain through the afternoon.The rain was welcomed in the Halifax area and the forest fire is out.
The rain ended here in the evening and then we were blanketed with fog.Temps were mild through the evening at +10°C.
There was no real change in conditions overnight.We are expecting showers and fog for today and tonight,clearing tomorrow.

The forecast:
Today
A few showers ending near noon then cloudy with 30 percent chance of showers. Amount 2 to 4 mm. Fog patches dissipating early this afternoon. Wind southwest 30 km/h. High 10 except 16 inland. UV index 4 or moderate.
Tonight
Cloudy periods. Fog patches overnight. Wind southwest 20 km/h becoming light this evening. Low 6.
Sunday
Sunny. Increasing cloudiness early in the afternoon. Wind becoming southwest 20 km/h in the afternoon. High 10 except 15 inland.
The high on my thermometer yesterday was +11°C.
Current conditions here:
+12°C
Overcast w/ fog and drizzle
Wind is light SW.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Yesterday was a nice day here with warm temps and lots of sun....definitely a T-shirt day!The evening was clear and mild.Overnight some clouds moved into the area and rain is on the way for today and tomorrow.Temps will remain mild with mid to upper teens expected for highs through next week.
The rain is badly needed here.A large fire has been raging near Halifax since yesterday with lots of houses being destroyed or damaged and lots of people being displaced.
From the Chronicle Herald:

'An intense, wind-swept forest fire on the outskirts of Halifax Thursday destroyed homes, forced the evacuation of area residents and wrecked scores of trees.

The fire started in the early afternoon behind the Roachs Pond ball diamond in Spryfield. By 4:30 p.m., it was still out of control and had moved to the York Redoubt and Fergusons Cove district.

At least two houses were destroyed, according to early reports from municipal officials. A number of other homes were severely damaged. By 9 p.m. eight homes were very heavily damaged and 10 homes had lesser degrees of damage, fire officials said.

NEED INFORMATION?

Go to www.halifax.ca/emo/alert.html

Hundreds of residents were victimized by the disaster.

According to Halifax Regional Municipality’s website, 20 streets were either closed or had homes on them evacuated. The Canadian Red Cross said that close to 330 homes in the Herring Cove Road and Fergusons Cove area were evacuated.

Police said they would be patrolling the evacuated areas overnight.

Among emergency responders on the scene were municipal and provincial firefighters, Halifax Regional Police, EHS paramedics, the RCMP and Canadian Red Cross.

Fire officials couldn’t provide a cause or point of origin, but the blaze is believed to have started from a hot spot left from a fire that hit the Spryfield area Wednesday.

A stubborn wind fanned the flames and sent the fire southward.

One resident who assumed he lost his home was Michael Smith. When he left his Fortress Drive home, the front and back lawns were burning.

"I thought I might not get out of these flames," Mr. Smith said.

He managed to grab a couple of home computers before fleeing.

Mr. Smith’s wife, Chigaya, said she and her husband were frustrated by the lack of information from the municipality.

"We just want to find out if we have a home left," she said.

Bernard and Angus Lethbridge were out fishing when the fire forced the two grandfathers to run for their lives.

"It was nasty," said Angus Lethbridge. "When we seen the flames come over top of the trees, we took off. We ran out of the woods."

Bernard has asthma and wanted to get away from the thick, acrid smoke.

He and Angus said they could see trees burning and figured the black smoke they saw "was homes burning down."

The Lethbridge brothers reckoned the flames came within 200 metres of them before they were out of harm’s way. They ended up walking home along Herring Cove Road.

"It’s good to be alive," said Angus Lethbridge. "It was hot and at first we thought it was just the wind blowing. But it wasn’t the wind — it was the fire coming through the trees."

The Lethbridge brothers said trees and brush on the ground, toppled during hurricane Juan, were tinder dry. They said their clothing was covered in ash.

Halifax’s Sean McOuat also had a close call while hiking with his brother in the York Redoubt area. The rapidly spreading flames jumped over their path.

They ran from the trail onto Spryfield’s Princetown Avenue and watched firefighters run past them toward the flames, which were heading toward the oceanside community of Ferguson’s Cove. However, the firefighters soon turned around.

The flames were massive, "at least 80-90 feet," Mr. McOuat said.

The brothers saw a pair of helicopters fly to the scene. The choppers landed in a gravel pit where they were being set up with buckets to carry lake water to drop on the fires.

The pilots told the brothers "they were a thousand feet up and a couple of miles out and they couldn’t get close to the fire because it was that hot."

Eric Wood, who lives on Wenlock Grove, off Purcells Cove Road, estimated the fire to be about five kilometres from his property. Even so, people in his neighbourhood were told to stay put. Many neighbours had to walk part of the way home, after leaving their cars near Williams Lake Road, he said. That’s where the authorities blocked off Purcells Cove Road, just beyond Frog Pond, a local popular park.

It appeared that the fire wasn’t headed toward his home, but he was relieved to see a water bomber arrive Thursday afternoon.

One firefighter communicating with another said: "It’s just a ball of fire. We can’t get in there."

Police officers were going door-to-door along Arbutus Avenue, ordering people to leave. One area resident said officers were waiting while people grabbed some cherished items to ensure they’d vacate their homes.

No one was hurt, fire service spokesman Dave Meldrum said.

Residents evacuated from their homes were forced to find temporary shelter Thursday night. John Webb, Nova Scotia’s director of emergency social services, said some people were staying with relatives or friends, while others would be at motels or hotels. The Chocolate Lake community centre was set up as a shelter for evacuees, who were later moved to the Captain William Spry Community Centre.

With Dan Arsenault, Eva Hoare

and Davene Jeffrey, staff reporters'



The forecast:
Today
Cloudy. Periods of rain beginning this morning. Amount 10 to 15 mm. Fog along the coast late this morning and this afternoon. Wind southwest 20 km/h becoming south 40 gusting to 70 this morning. High 10.
Tonight
Periods of rain. Amount 5 to 10 mm. Fog patches. Wind southwest 30 km/h gusting to 50. Temperature steady near 9.
Saturday
Showers ending in the morning then cloudy with 30 percent chance of showers. Clearing in the evening. Amount 2 mm. Fog patches dissipating in the morning. Wind southwest 30 km/h gusting to 50 becoming west 30 in the afternoon then light in the evening. High 10 except 17 inland.
The high on my thermometer yesterday was +17°C.
Current conditions at my location:
+8°C
Overcast
Wind is moderate SW.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Yesterday was a nice seasonable day here.Afternoon temps were comfortable and the evening was clear and dry.Overnight the temps dropped to to single digits.
Today is expected to be somewhat similar and then rain moves in for tomorrow and the weekend.

The forecast:
Today
Sunny. Wind becoming northwest 20 km/h this morning. High 15. UV index 6 or high.
Tonight
A few clouds. Wind becoming south 20 km/h overnight. Low plus 4.
Friday
Increasing cloudiness. Periods of rain beginning in the morning. Amount 5 to 10 mm. Fog along the coast. Wind south 20 km/h increasing to 40 gusting to 70 in the morning then becoming southwest 40 gusting to 70 in the afternoon. High 10.

The high on my thermometer yesterday was +15°C.
Current conditions at my location:
+6°
Clear
Calm.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Yesterday was very hot here...record breaking heat to be exact.Afternoon temps along the south shore were in the 30°C range.Temps began to drop in the early evening and it got quite windy.The high winds died out in the mid-evening and temps held at 12°C.The sky remained clear.
Ovenight the temps dropped to seasonal values which is where it is expected to remain for the rest of the week.
Today and tomorrow will be dry with normal highs.Rain is on the way for the weekend.

The forecast:
Today
Clearing early this morning. Wind northwest 30 km/h gusting to 50 becoming west 20 this afternoon. High 12. UV index 6 or high.
Tonight
Clear. Low plus 2.
Thursday
Sunny. High 14.

The high on my thermometer yesterday was +29°C.
Current conditions at my location:
+7°C
Clear
Wind is brisk NW.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Yesterday was quite a change from the weekend.It was mostly overcast and temps were cool.There was also a brisk westerly breeze.
The evening was cool with temps dropping to 4°C.
Overnight the temps began to climb and we are expecting an extremely hot day here today.Temps are forecast to be 10 to 15°C above seasonal normals.
We're back to more seasonable weather tomorrow and for the rest of the week with rain moving in at week's end.

The forecast:
Today
Clearing this morning. Fog patches dissipating this morning. Wind south 20 km/h becoming southwest 30 gusting to 50 early this afternoon. High 15 except 26 inland. UV index 6 or high.

Tonight
Cloudy periods. 30 percent chance of showers overnight. Wind southwest 30 km/h becoming northwest 30 this evening then north 40 gusting to 60 overnight. Low plus 3.

Wednesday
Sunny. Wind northwest 30 km/h gusting to 50. High 13.
The high on my thermometer yesterday was +10°C.
Current conditions at my location:
+11°C
Mostly clear
Calm.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Yesterday was very warm here with afternoon temps reaching the mid-20°C range.The evening was warm and partly clear with clouds moving in overnight.
Temps are expected to be in the seasonable range for this week with no precip expected until Friday.

The forecast:
Today
Sunny. Increasing cloudiness this afternoon. High 7 except 12 inland. UV index 6 or high.
Tonight
Cloudy periods. Wind southwest 20 km/h. Low plus 3.
Tuesday
Clearing in the morning. Wind southwest 20 km/h. High 13 except 23 inland.
The high on my thermometers yesterday:+29°C in the sun,+24°C in the shade.
Current conditions at my location:
+5°C
Overcast
Calm.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Yesterday was like a summer's day here with very warm temps and lots of sun.The evening remained warm with mostly clear skies.
It looks like today is going to be another scorcher even though the forecast isn't really saying so.It is quite warm already this morning and quite sunny.We should definitely see 20°C + again today.

The forecast for the week:
Today
Cloudy with sunny periods. 60 percent chance of drizzle early this morning. Clearing late this afternoon. Fog patches dissipating this morning. Wind becoming north 20 km/h gusting to 40 this afternoon. High 16. UV index 5 or moderate.
Tonight
Clear. Wind north 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Low zero.
Monday
Sunny with cloudy periods. High 6 except 12 inland.
Tuesday
A mix of sun and cloud. Low plus 3. High 20.
Wednesday
Sunny. Low 9. High 13.
Thursday
Sunny. Low plus 1. High 12.
Friday
A mix of sun and cloud. Low plus 2. High 11.
Saturday
Cloudy with 40 percent chance of showers. Low 7. High 12.
The highs on my thermometers yesterday were:+22°C in the shade,+30°C in the sun.
Current conditions at my location:
+12°C
Clear
Calm.

wx

Special weather statement in effect for: Queens County Potential storm over the Maritimes at anytime this Fall and Winter . A storm will lik...