High Winds and an Unexpected Loon

This entry is part 17 of 24 in the series 2012 Photojournal

Winds were fierce through the night, topping out with 53 mph sustained winds on the 3:53 observation (81 mph gust) and a gust of 86 mph the 4:53 am update (though down to 37 mph sustained). The breeze was still quite stiff when the kids and I walked down to Totem Park later in the morning. Park trails were closed due to high winds, so we just walked down the beach a ways before heading back. The play of light as sun rays illuminated rain squalls through small gaps in the clouds. It might have been nice to get some video (straight or maybe time lapse) – but conditions weren’t so inspiring for hanging out in the open very long.

Later this afternoon I heard a report of a Red-throated Loon on Swan Lake. I made a quick stop at the lake and grabbed some pictures of it, but will write it up in a separate post.

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Wind Sculpted Snow

Strong winds blew through last night. I hadn’t heard the forecast, but while walking downtown last evening definitely noticed how strong the wind was blowing. By the time I walked back home some time later, it was quite calm. I heard today that there were actually snow wheels at SJ where the wet snow had been blown by the snow and accumulated into wheel shapes as they rolled across the surface.

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Warming and Winds

Temperatures have warmed up significantly in the past 24 hours – they are now hanging out in the mid-to-upper 30s. The last forecast I saw for overnight is a low of 23, but that seems unlikely at this point. I think perhaps the off-shore winds that had been keeping things cold were probably also keeping … Read more

Trip to SeaMart

This entry is part 45 of 133 in the series 2011 Photojournal

Walked over to the new house this morning and then made a trip to SeaMart this afternoon, but other than that was in doors. Heavy overcast prevailed, though the wind was primarily out of the east – I was blown right along while walking down Sawmill Creek Road from Jeff Davis Street. I thought the … Read more