Monday, August 29, 2011

Thar she Blows !!!

Well, needless to say, it's a bit windy today. We didn't get nearly as much rain as we were expecting because the storm increased in forward motion when it got to Canada so most of the rain was pushed north and west of us. We got our share of wind that basically lasted for 24 hours. Maximum gusts in Greenwood were officially recorded at 93 km per hour and on the Bay of Fundy the wave heights due to storm surge and high tide were 6m or 18feet with the foam from the wave tops blowing all over the shore like snow. Here in Nova Scotia most popular beaches and beach access points were closed due to the hazards of being pulled in by a rogue wave and because the waves were crashing onto the parking lots and shores.

Preceeding the wind it got very hot and muggy with the barometre showing 100% humidity. I remember at one point standing near the front door saying goodbye to friends and Chris saying "shut the door, you're letting all the hot air in" which is of course a total turn around for Canada. The humidity stayed for the duration of the storm but has now returned to normal with cooler temperatures and clear blue skies. The humidity made it hard to sleep so this cooler and fresher weather is very welcome. I slept through the night for the first time in days, yay!

While it's true that we didn't get nearly as much damage as expected, I wonder if that's because we had warning and were more prepared or were we just lucky? I noticed that for the week preceeding the storm the power crews were out trimming branches and trees with the potential to take down the lines. City crews were making sure that drains in the streets were open and working properly and beaches and parks were closed to the public to avoid falling debris and waves. I think the news coverage may also have helped because we saw all the damage occuring in the US, partucularly Virginia, and decided to stay home and not try our luck at surfing or some other equally dumb thing

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