The Calm Before The Storm

I live in Nova Scotia, Canada – in a tidy little city called Halifax. Its pretty far north. Usually we are well out of range of hurricanes, but every now and then one decides to pay us a visit. In September 2003, well before I moved here, hurricane Juan made landfall on an rather unsuspecting Halifax with winds reaching 105 mph (165 km/h). It was the biggest storm Atlantic Canada had seen in over 100 years, causing several fatalities and millions in damage. The effects can still be seen in many provincial parks in the form of once proud fallen trees by the thousands.

Typically the waters off of Nova Scotia are very cold. So cold in fact, that its rare to see more then a handful of swimmers in the water at the beach on any given day. This week has been abnormally warm and I’ve witnessed more swimmers in the water here then ever before. While thats sounds finer and dandy, its also a recipe for disaster as far as hurricanes are concerned.

Its pretty calm and cool outside right now, but in about five hours we expect the hurricane to hit the southern coast of Nova Scotia. Most predictions anticipate that the storm will be downgraded from a hurricane by the time it reaches us, but only time will tell for sure.

When Lightning Strikes

When I was younger we spent a lot of time in and near lakes, rivers and ponds. Were were allowed to swim and play as long as there were no lightning storms. It made sense, lightning is dangerous, but I had never actually seen anyone get hit by lightning on a lake until now. I came across these gruesome photos a little while back and was blown away. It’s a grim reminder of how important it is to get your boat off the water when the weather gets bad.

LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) – A lightning strike on a fishing boat killed one man
and injured another. State wildlife agents say Saturday’s strike on Old
Black Bayou near Lake Charles killed 44-year-old Joe Landry. He was
pronounced dead at the scene. His fishing partner – Richard Bergeron of Lake
Charles- was treated and released later Saturday from a hospital.
Investigators say the two were attempting to pick up anchor and retreat from
a small storm when lightning hit.

More images on MCB Boats

Bill Arrived In Canada

It started raining here in Halifax a couple hours ago, the first effects we’ve seen of Hurricane Bill. It’s a little windy, but nothing major. Cars are still driving around, and a group of joggers just ran past thirty minutes ago. Business as usual I guess. The storm has been downgraded over the past couple of days, and winds are not expected to reach the previously predicted 80+ mph.

Check out up to date hurricane images on Stormpulse

Beware Of Bill

So the locals here in Halifax are in a bit of a frenzy about hurricane Bill. The current path of the storm has it landing directly on Nova Scotia sometime on Sunday with winds up to 120km. Nova Scotia was last hit by Juan in 2004 and there was massive damage. Being born, and having spent significant time in the Caribbean, I’m no stranger to hurricanes, but it never hurts to be prepared, so stock up on water at the very least. Chances are the hurricane will have lost a a lot of its power by the time it reaches me, but Bermuda is feeling the effects as we speak. Hopefully everyone down there is prepared.

via NOAA