weather you like it or not

Today is a SAD day

Today is the Winter Solstice, the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year, which is not to say it’s less than 24 hours long or is increasingly diminutive in nature, merely that the number of daylight hours is a mere eight or so, with the remaining 16 cast in darkness, near darkness or dammit-I-stubbed-my-toe-going-to-the-bathroom-at-midnight  darkness.

For me it is not so much a SAD day as the weather has been surprisingly decent. So far the goat entrails predicting a colder, drier winter are proving correct, much to my delight. You’d think after growing up in a region where rain is as common as air or crooked politicians that I’d be used to it now, perhaps even find it oddly reassuring. You would be wrong. Plus Jeff gave me a toque that I look all sexy-like in and if it rains I have to switch to something more waterproof and definitely less sexy-looking. Rain interferes with my good looks, see?

I’ll report back in a few months on whether La Nina holds up and keeps us dry or if, as is usually the case, the last week of December heralds months of rain, more rain and in case you missed it, here comes the rain again.

Bad running weather: the list

Here is a list of the worst types of weather to run in, according to me (since I’m the one who has to run in it), from least worst to worst worst:

14. Overcast and light breeze. This is actually ideal conditions. It is usually never too cold or warm when the weather is like this.
13. Moderate wind. Moderate wind can be a tad annoying, especially if I don’t have my cap on securely.
12. Warm sun. If it’s warm, I get hot and sweaty but it’s manageable.
11. Light rain. The only issue with light rain is that sometimes my iPod gets wet straight through my shorts’ pocket.
10. Snow. I’ve only run once in light snow and it was fun. I’m thinking a foot of snow would probably be less so.
9. Cold rain. Cold rain means cold hands and if you wear gloves they need to be waterproof.
8. Hard rain. Getting soaked to the skin is kind of refreshing. Unfortunately if it’s raining hard, it’s almost always cold, too. Not so refreshing. iPod also gets drenched.
7. Hail. I’ve never run in hail. I imagine getting pelted with little ice rocks is less than pleasant.
6. Extreme cold. I’ve run in sub-freezing conditions and been fine. I’m thinking Arctic tundra-type cold here.
5. Heavy wind. The resistance means you work a lot harder to achieve the same result and my cap has to be on tight enough to cut off circulation so it doesn’t fly away.
4. Hot sun. I wilt on hot days. My body feels like a furnace and I’m left parched as all get-out. Dry mouth and lips are yucky.
3. Hard rain and heavy wind. Likeliest weather to make me wonder to myself, ‘What was I thinking?’ when on the run.
2. Hot sun and heavy wind. Heat dries you out, the wind makes it harder to run and dries you out even more. Bleah.

And the worst weather to run in is:

1. Dogs. See here.

Complaining about the weather is always good fun

This CBC news story outlines what most people in BC already know — April and May have sucked, weather-wise.

So far in April and May, the mean high daily temperature has been 9.2 C, which is 3.5 C below normal, while total rainfall of 183.1 millimetres is 120 per cent above normal, [CBC meteorologist] Martin said.

While writing this I heard a sudden clatter outside — hail! Again. I go out and take a picture:

The weird streaks in this image of a tree out back are not photographic artifacts. They are weather. At this time of the year one should not be hearing the weather, one should be feeling it as the warmth gently caresses your skin, rather than assaulting it like God’s BB gun.

I’m sure June will be better, assuming the ice caps don’t melt in the meantime and just flip the switch right over to GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE RIGHT NOW and the joke about Canadians living in igloos becomes a sudden reality.

Hooray for Spring!

Today marks the spring equinox.

Boo to winter, I say. I have had my fill of snow and bleak, rainy, short days. Today it got to double digits. Woo to spring! The sun even came out.

And naturally half the population was wearing shorts and t-shirts, thinking that sun = summer. People are weird. Or impervious to cool temperatures.

Damn cold, November 2010 edition

Somehow we’ve ended up with winter about a month and a half early.

After getting a decent dusting of snow — more than all of last winter, as previously mentioned — we are now in a cold snap where the temperature is expected to hit a low of -10C tonight. It’s also been rather breezy so there’s actual wind chill, like what they get on the Prairies when it drops to -80C and your nose freezes if you get too close to a window. Much like how we’ve had more snow already than last year, these few days of sub-freezing temperatures already beat what we had last winter.

Maybe the farmers’ almanac and the squirrels were right after all.

I promise my next update will not be weather or oat fudge-bar related.

Goodbye summer!

September was a pretty lousy month, weather-wise, being one of the ten soggiest on record. More positively, the first day of October was sunny and summer-like. It’s partly cloudy today but I may yet get proper closure on summer before The Dark Times (ie. winter) arrive.

I also plan on writing more regularly this month as I gear up for National Novel Writing Month in November, so more inane blog posts shall be on their way. Hooray!

This is not the June weather I ordered

As someone who has lived his whole life in the southwest corner of BC, I am used to rain and I really don’t mind it.

Come June, one expects mild to warm temperatures, more sun, some clouds and occasional showers. So far we have been seeing mostly the latter. If I was still running the Locarno concession I’d be in full panic mode now.

Dear Mother Nature: cut it out! Make with the sun. (Please!)

This is still not the May weather I ordered

I knew something was up when Environment Canada issued its national spring forecast that called for warmer and drier conditions across the entirety of the country this spring. You know how those things go. They forecast sun, it rains. They predict overcast skies, it rains. They predict rain and it rains.

This is the forecast for the remainder of the month:


Allow me to translate:

Friday: rain
Saturday: rain
Sunday: rain
Monday: going out on a limb here — rain!

When I worked at Locarno Beach back in 1996-98 I was understandably obsessed with the weather. Even now I occasionally recall the days of yore when I prayed for sun so I could open the concession and earn a few meager dollars, even as I loathed opening the concession and actually having to be there.

The other night I dreamed I was back at Locarno, arriving rather suddenly, it seemed, and the scene was one of barely-contained chaos. A guy at the counter laughed at me while explaining he was the one who always had some difficult order. It seemed to be whatever it was he wanted — one of those energy bars or something like that — was in one of many boxes in the back. I tried to explain that I didn’t know any of this because I wasn’t there the previous year (or ten). A line-up started to form and I went to the till. An order was rung in for something but I didn’t know what. There was a $20 bill on the counter. I asked the guy if it was his, so I could make change. There was also another separate pile of money on the counter, a bunch of 20s and 10s. Things were cooking. My staff was running about, except they weren’t my staff, they were a bunch of strangers, presumably the staff that had worked there the previous summer. All that was missing was for me to look down and see I was only dressed in my underwear. Just before the dream ended I remember thinking to myself, “At least I’m making some money!”

It was awful. Yech. Dear Brain: No more Locarno dreams. Thanks!

This is not the May weather I ordered

A few weeks ago I read a news story about Environment Canada’s “spring forecast”. They predicted that the entire country — yes, the whole dang thing — would experience warmer, drier conditions this spring. What they didn’t mention was the rain and wind, the endless high wind. From The Weather Network website earlier today:


Wind Warning : Greater Vancouver
Issued at 3:51 PM PDT Sunday 2 May 2010

Summary

West to northwest winds up to 80 km/h will develop overnight. This is a warning that potentially damaging winds are expected or occurring in these regions. Monitor weather conditions..Listen for updated statements.

Details

An unseasonably strong cold front will move southward across the British Columbia south coast tonight. High pressure building rapidly behind the front will cause strong westerly winds up to 80 km/h to develop over much of Vancouver Island and the inner coast overnight and early Monday morning. Winds will gradually ease beginning late Monday morning or Monday afternoon.

***

Nothing says spring like potentially damaging winds! So yeah, patiently waiting for real spring to arrive and this silly faux wintry stuff to take a hike.