Friday, December 24, 2010

24 December 2010 - Conditions at 6:38 AM: +1.6C, Mostly clear, Wind: N 23 gust 39 km/h

We had another wet and windy day again yesterday.Temps were in the +5C range and it was very windy for most of the day and evening.Overnight the sky finally began to clear and the winds died down.

We are expecting a few showers or flurries today and things are looking great for Christmas Day and Boxing Day with sunny periods and no precip expected.

We may get hit with another storm on Monday.It is still too early to say if it will be rain or snow.

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Forecasts for our area issued by Environment Canada :

(Normals: Max +1C / Min -8C)

Today

Cloudy with 60 percent chance of rain showers or wet flurries. Wind north 30 km/h gusting to 50. High plus 2.

Tonight

Cloudy. Wind north 30 km/h. Low minus 2

Saturday

Cloudy with sunny periods. Wind northwest 20 km/h becoming light in the evening. High zero.

Sunday

Cloudy. Low minus 3. High zero.

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The marine forecast:

Gale warning in effect.
Wind north 35 to 40 knots diminishing to northwest 25 to 30 near noon
 and to north 20 overnight. Wind backing to northwest 15 Saturday
 afternoon. A few showers ending Saturday morning.

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Today’s Weather Trivia:

24 December 2008: A handful of volunteers frantically dug out a herd of starving horses near McBride, BC. Trapped in snow more than 2 m deep, the horses were skinny, frostbitten, and missing large patches of hair. Their frail health precluded a helicopter rescue. Snowmobilers and other volunteers began hand-digging a 2,300 m trail to bring the animals to safety despite difficult weather. – Excerpt from 'The Canadian Weather Trivia Calendar' by David Phillips. © Environment Canada

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Sky Events:

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ISS visible sightings: Date: Saturday, December 25, 2010 Time: 05:58 PM Duration: Less than 1 minute Maximum Elevation: 15° Approach: 15° above SE Departure: 15° above SE

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The heart of a king follows the Moon tonight: the star Regulus. It is the brightest star of Leo, the lion -- the king of the beasts -- and its name means "the little king." It is to the lower left of the Moon as they rise in mid evening..

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AURORA (‘Northern Lights’) WATCH: Auroral activity will be quiet.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

23 December 2010 - Conditions at 6:30 AM: +4.4C, Overcast, Wind: N 23 gust 36 km/h

Yesterday was wet and mild here with temps once again in the +5C range.The wind was less brisk than the previous few days and there were showers through most of the day.The showers continued throughout the evening.

More showers are expected today with temps a little cooler than yesterday.We may see a few flurries tomorrow as conditions begin to return to normal.

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Forecasts for our area issued by Environment Canada :

(Normals: Max +1C / Min -8C)

Today

Showers. Amount 2 to 4 mm. Wind north 40 km/h gusting to 60. High plus 4.

Tonight

Cloudy. 30 percent chance of rain showers changing to 30 percent chance of flurries after midnight. Wind north 40 km/h gusting to 60. Low plus 1.

Friday

Cloudy. 30 percent chance of flurries in the morning. Becoming a mix of sun and cloud in the afternoon. Wind north 30 km/h gusting to 50. Temperature steady near plus 1.

Saturday

Cloudy. Low minus 3. High plus 1.

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The marine forecast:

Gale warning in effect.
Wind northerly 20 to 25 knots increasing to north 35 to 40 early this
 afternoon then diminishing to northwest 25 Friday morning. Showers.

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Today’s Weather Trivia:

23 December 2004: A major pre-Christmas storm roared through the Lower Great Lakes. In Ottawa, 9 cm of snow fell, followed by 20 mm of rain and freezing rain, and a flash freeze. Cars surfed through water up to their hub caps. Travellers from Windsor to Timmins became stranded, delaying family reunions and celebrations across the nation. Metro Toronto Zoo, usually open except on Christmas, closed to the public. Excerpt from 'The Canadian Weather Trivia Calendar' by David Phillips. © Environment Canada

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Sky Events:

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ISS visible sightings:No visible sightings until Dec 25.

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Orion, the hunter, shines in prime time during winter's long nights. It's in full view in the east soon after nightfall. Its brightest stars flank Orion's three-star belt: orange Betelgeuse to the left, and blue-white Rigel to the right.

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AURORA (‘Northern Lights’) WATCH: Auroral activity will be minimum.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

22 December 2010 - Conditions at 6:25 AM: +3.4C, Overcast, Wind: NNW 25 gust 39 km/h

Yesterday was a windy and overcast day with temps near +6C.Overnight the wind continued to howl and some rain moved into the area.More wind and showers are expected today and continuing into the weekend.Clearing,and calmer winds,is not expected until Sunday.


Forecasts for our area issued by Environment Canada :

(Normals: Max +1C / Min -8C)

Today

Showers. Amount 5 mm. Wind north 40 km/h gusting to 60. High plus 4.

Tonight

Showers. Amount 5 mm. Wind north 30 km/h gusting to 50. Low plus 2.

Thursday

A few showers ending in the afternoon then cloudy with 40 percent chance of showers. Amount 2 mm. Wind north 40 km/h gusting to 60. High plus 4.

Friday

Cloudy. Windy. Low zero. High plus 1.

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The marine forecast:

Gale warning in effect.
Wind north 30 to 35 knots diminishing to northerly 20 to 25 late this
 morning then increasing to northeasterly 25 to 35 Thursday morning.
 Wind backing to north 40 Thursday afternoon. Showers ending Thursday
 evening.

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Today’s Weather Trivia:

22 December 1944: By heaping record amounts of coal into furnaces, householders in Ottawa, ON, struggled to fight off the outside cold, which stood at -35°C. King Frost was blamed for many a nipped nose and ear. Frozen automobiles meant crowded street cars and long delays in towing calls. – Excerpt from 'The Canadian Weather Trivia Calendar' by David Phillips. © Environment Canada

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Sky Events:

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ISS visible sightings:No visible sightings until Dec 24.

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Three bright stars flank the Moon as they rise in mid evening. Castor and Pollux, the "twins" of Gemini, are to the upper right of the Moon, with Castor higher in the sky. And farther to the lower right of the Moon is Procyon, the "little dog" star.

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AURORA (‘Northern Lights’) WATCH: Auroral activity will be quiet.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

21 December 2010 - Conditions at 6:22 AM: +4.5C, Overcast, Wind: N 24 gust 40 km/h

Yesterday was an overcast day with temps near +2C and gusty winds.Some snow began to fall in the early evening and we got enough to cover the ground.Temps began to rise and the snow quickly changed to rain.

All of the snow is now gone and today is expected to mild for the first day of winter.Windy conditions with light rain are expected.The temps will be above 0 for the remainder of the week and it will not be a white Christmas on the south shore this year.

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Forecasts for our area issued by Environment Canada :

(Normals: Max +1C / Min -8C)

Storm surge warning in effect.

Today

Periods of drizzle or showers ending this morning then cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Amount 2 mm. Wind northeast 40 km/h gusting to 60. Temperature steady near plus 5.

Tonight

Showers except periods of wet snow over higher terrain overnight. Amount 5 mm. Wind northeast 40 km/h gusting to 60. Low plus 2.

Wednesday

Showers. Amount 5 mm. Wind north 30 km/h gusting to 50. Temperature steady near plus 3.

Thursday

Rain showers or flurries. Windy. Low plus 1. High plus 1.

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The marine forecast:

Gale warning in effect.
High water level warning in effect.
Wind northeast 25 to 35 knots increasing to 40 early this morning.
 Showers.

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Today’s Weather Trivia:

21 December 1938: On their way from The Pas, MB, to the New York World's Fair, 2 northern mushers and their 7 huskies arrived in Winnipeg. Lack of snow had forced them to put their heavily loaded sleigh on wheels, only to have it break down some 2 km away, in the Riding Mountain area. They then hitchhiked, loading everything onto a truck, into Winnipeg, where things were looking up-it had started to snow. – Excerpt from 'The Canadian Weather Trivia Calendar' by David Phillips. © Environment Canada

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Sky Events:

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ISS visible sightings:No visible sightings until Dec 24.

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Today is the December solstice, which marks the Sun's southernmost point in its year-long journey along the horizon. It also is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, where it marks the start of winter.

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AURORA (‘Northern Lights’) WATCH: Auroral activity will be quiet.

Monday, December 20, 2010

20 December 2010 - Conditions at 6:46 AM: -0.1C, Overcast, Wind: NE 22 gust 38 km/h

Yesterday was a sunny day with afternoon highs reaching to near +5C.The evening was clear with temps dropping to near 0.

Today is expected to be stormy,as the past 2 Mondays have been also.Snow,changing to rain,and high winds are expected for today and tomorrow.We may see more rain than snow here on the coast with temps currently near 0 here and above 0 on the coast.Regardless,it will be windy and nasty for the next 24 hours or so.

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Forecasts for our area issued by Environment Canada :

(Normals: Max +1C / Min -8C)

Storm surge warning in effect.

Today

Cloudy. Snow beginning this morning. Amount 5 to 10 cm. Wind becoming northeast 30 km/h gusting to 50 this morning. High zero.

Tonight

Snow changing to rain near midnight. Snowfall amount 5 cm. Rainfall amount 5 to 10 mm. Wind northeast 30 km/h gusting to 50 increasing to 50 gusting to 80 this evening. Temperature rising to plus 5 by morning.

Tuesday

Rain ending in the morning then cloudy. Periods of rain beginning early in the evening. Amount 10 mm. Wind northeast 50 km/h gusting to 80 becoming north 30 gusting to 50 in the morning. Temperature steady near plus 5.

Wednesday

Flurries. Windy. Low zero. High plus 2.

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The marine forecast:

Gale warning in effect.
High water level warning in effect.
Wind northeast 15 knots increasing to 20 early this morning and to 35
 this afternoon. Wind increasing to northeast 45 this evening then
 backing to north 35 Tuesday morning. Wind diminishing to northeast
 30 Tuesday evening. Rain and periods of snow and occasional fog
 patches beginning this morning. Risk of thunderstorms after
 midnight. Visibility 1 mile or less in fog patches and in rain.
.

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Today’s Weather Trivia:

20 December 2004: A wind swept from Edson, AB, to the Saskatchewan border, felling trees, toppling radio towers, flipping small planes, tearing up roofs, and knocking out power to thousands. In a freak accident, the 100-km/h winds blew a kite boarder into an abandoned church in Alberta Beach, killing the adventurer. Wind gusts recorded at Edmonton's City Centre Airport tied the December record of 98 km/h. – Excerpt from 'The Canadian Weather Trivia Calendar' by David Phillips. © Environment Canada

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Sky Events:

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ISS visible sightings:No visible sightings until Dec 24.

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A total lunar eclipse will be visible across North America tonight. The dark inner portion of Earth's shadow first touches the lunar disk at 12:32 a.m. CST. The Moon will be completely immersed by 1:41, and will remain in the shadow for more than an hour.

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AURORA (‘Northern Lights’) WATCH: Auroral activity will be minimum.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

19 December 2010 - Conditions at 7:13 AM: -3.7C, Clear, Wind: WNW 6 km/h

We had a pretty good day here yesterday with afternoon temps reaching to almost +5C.The evening was clear with temps slightly below freezing.

Today is expected to be similar to yesterday.Some precip is on the way for Monday and Tuesday.

So far,there are only slight traces of snow here.That is not the case in Europe and places that normally don’t see much snow are buried.This photo was sent in from Wales:

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Forecasts for our area issued by Environment Canada :

(Normals: Max +2C / Min -7C)

Today

Clearing this morning. High plus 1.

Tonight

Clear. Increasing cloudiness overnight. Low minus 4 except minus 8 inland.

Monday

Cloudy with 60 percent chance of rain showers or flurries in the morning and afternoon. Snow beginning late in the afternoon. Snowfall amount 2 to 4 cm. Wind becoming north 30 km/h gusting to 50 late in the afternoon. High plus 1.

Tuesday

Rain. Windy. Low plus 1. High plus 5.

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The marine forecast:

Wind northwest 10 to 15 knots veering to northeast 15 this evening
 then increasing to 20 to 25 Monday morning. Wind increasing to
 northeast 30 Monday afternoon. Rain and snow and fog patches
 beginning Monday afternoon.

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Today’s Weather Trivia:

19 December 2004: Strong, gusty winds blew apart the log boom north of Traders Cove Park on BC's Lake Okanagan, scattering, an estimated 1,500 truckloads of floating logs. The next day, winds calmed, enabling tugboat operators and shore crews to contain most of the logs, thus minimizing the risk to homeowners. Still, several private docks suffered extensive battering. .– Excerpt from 'The Canadian Weather Trivia Calendar' by David Phillips. © Environment Canada

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Sky Events:

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ISS visible sightings:No visible sightings until Dec 24.

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A bright orange star accompanies the bright gibbous Moon across the sky tonight: Aldebaran, the "eye" of Taurus, the bull. They are low in the east at nightfall, with Aldebaran to the lower right of the Moon. They soar high across the sky during the night, and set shortly before dawn.

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AURORA (‘Northern Lights’) WATCH: Auroral activity will be low.

wx

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