Vancouver Metblogs » Weather

CoV says, "No fire!" – Smokey the Bear says, "RAARRRR!"

castewar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:42:25 +0000

Calgary grass fire (April 2009) by IYAcalgary

The Vancouver Parks Board has taken a look at all the grass turning brown and made a proclamation; no fire please.

The fire hazard in all city parks has been rated at “extreme”.

As of today, smoking is banned in all parks and trails, and charcoal/wood burning BBQs are right out as well – gas BBQs, which do not produce sparks, ash, or coals, are not mentioned, though it’s not clear if that means they’re ok to use or not.

Also, campfires are a no-no, even on Vancouver beaches.

I’ve never see Vancouver as brown as I have in recent years – a effect I thought I’d left behind on the prairies, but we can’t have a Summer respite from Winter rains AND have green parks. And grass fires suck, so keep it on the concrete, yeah?

The seven-day forecast says nothing by hot and sunny for Vancouver, so this ban will likely be in effect for awhile.

Effective today, the following precautions are now in place:

* No smoking in parks or on trails
* No charcoal or wood burning barbecues
* Stay on trails

Fire hazard signage is in place in Vancouver’s heavily wooded parks — Stanley Park, Everett Crowley Park and Jericho Beach Park — which are especially vulnerable to fires.

Park visitors should take precautions against accidental fires and be alert to signs of fire or smoke:

* Campfires are not permitted at any time in any of Vancouver’s parks or beaches
* Report any signs of smoke or fire by calling 9-1-1 immediately
* Watch for forest fire hazard signs in some parks and additional fire safety information posted in parks and on the Park Board web site

[VIA CKNW]

"It would be unfortunate if I had to leave a garrison here."

castewar — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:04:47 +0000

via [buzzbishop.com]

There’s not much to add really – I’ve always enjoyed Vancouver’s unique weather, and getting a week of fog has been a treat. I’m never sure how to describe it though – depending on the time of day, it varies between a Stephen King mist and a John Carpenter, pirate-zombie-filled fog, with threats of a Holmsian pea-souper.

I will say this though;

If you’re driving between here and Abbotsford… SLOW DOWN!

I was visiting friends in Chiliwack (makers of the fine fine Speedway Squad, no less) and as an experienced and comfortable driver, I was averaging 80-90kph in 110 zones. This was because brake lights were invisible a half klick ahead. This, nor the numerous crash scenes here and there, didn’t deter people from blowing by me at 120. Ess em arr tee.

Trains = hooped

castewar — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:28:04 +0000

If you’re thinking to yourself, “hey, the train are probably running ok”, think again. The Skytrain system is enjoying a GVA-wide meltdown. Be prepared for multi-train waits at major stations and junctions. Heck, there’s a tree down near Nanaimo station.

The busses however, are doing ok, with b-lines stopping more frequently.

[UPDATE] Trains are slow, but spirits remain high. Please make room for everyone getting off before you get on. Seriously, the trains are packed.

[UPDATE] 7:15PM – train ops are on the intercom. Only two trains servicing downtown to Columbia on Expo. Scott Road station outwards has limited trains and big waits. Millenium line is a mess. Apparently the snow is messing with the switches. They are asking people to look for alternate options for getting home.

Stay warm!

Vancouver Five: how I learned to stop worrying and love the snow

Jeffery Simpson — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:56:27 +0000

With yet another day of fresh snow covering Vancouver’s streets Vancouver Metblogs brings you a handy guide to stop fighting the snow and give into its seductive white squishy-self. Below are five practical ways to get through this most white of Christmases.

Pretend that you’re paying an even more inflated price for rent and are actually up in your suite in Whistler. Hell pretend it’s 2010 and you’re going to watch Americans and Russians battle it out to see who can ski down a mountain fast enough. People from all around the world are going to pay through the nose to experience this kind of winter, and you’re getting it for free so stop being ungrateful.
Fly to Florida for the next month. I mean as much as they like to pass themselves off as winter warriors all of Quebec is closed until March since they’ve all fled down south.
Stuff a space heater down your pants now that you finally have a non-sexual excuse.
Boxing Day it’s the Canucks versus the Oilers at GM Place. I’m not sure who I’m cheering for yet, but it’s a last chance to see the Canucks before the team is either elevated or Borked by the arrival of Sundin.
Stay in and read Metroblogging Vancouver. Oh who am I kidding, stay in and drink.

Snow: Informer

Jeffery Simpson — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:04:36 +0000

: Snow it’s more than just slick rhymes.

To save money the management of the building that I work in shuts down the heat during the weekend. Since it’s just our store and the Blendz open Saturday and Sunday they figure that nobody is going to care, and so that’s why I’m standing here wearing a thermal fleece, a thick sweater and mittens. My co-workers are wearing full winter coats, and have set up two space heaters which seem to simply be draining electricity and making a great deal of noise.

Meanwhile Vancouver airport is, at this point, still open for business despite fresh snow throughout the day [yvr]. Flights are being delayed, though few have been cancelled out right and those seem to be because of snow on the other end of the flight.

Road-wise the downtown streets were cleared about an hour ago, but they’re now back to being mostly slush and loose snow. Smart driving is going to be okay, but I’d add a little more time to your schedule this evening if you are going anywhere.

It’ll be snowing throughout the night and into tomorrow so plan your commute to work accordingly.

Christmas Stocking for Street Kids

castewar — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:33:07 +0000

I stumbled upon this group on Facebook and thought it fit nicely with the spirit of the season – it’s pretty much as the subject line describes. They’re looking for items, which will be gathered into stockings, and handed out to street kids. One of the organizers benefitted from a similar gift when they were on the street;

The stockings were awesome, they had a nice pair of gloves, socks, toques, soap, tooth brush/toothpaste, sanitary stuff for the girls, shaving stuff for the guys and of course some regular old fun stocking stuff to really make it feel like Christmas. I swear those were the best pair of socks I ever owned, they were so thick my boots stoped gouging into my heels and they kept me toasty warm. This made, what started out as a miserable Christmas Eve, into a much happier one.

The group is looking for particular items (as well as people to help hand the stockings out on Christmas Eve and Christmas day). Those items are;

Christmas Stockings
Rain boots
Gloves
Socks (wool or something thick and warm)
Gloves
Hats/Toques
Scarfs
Hand warmers
Rain gear (windbreakers, rain ponchos)
Vitamin packs
Healthy snacks
Christmas Items – candy canes, oranges, chocolates
Meal gift certificates
Hygiene products – deodorant, shampoo/conditioner, soap, cream, chap stick, qtips (all in travel sizes please)

There’s contact info on the Facebook site, or you can bring your donations to Free Store 2, taking place this Sunday, December 21st (more information on where and what exactly a Free Store is, can be found here.)

Your support is not only a big deal to the kids, but a big deal for the group itself, as they are looking to gain Non-Profit Society status for next year.

Everyone in the nation is laughing at our driving right now

Jeffery Simpson — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 10:48:37 +0000

If you’ve lived, and driven, anywhere else in Canada you’re likely going to spend the new few days groaning audibly. See on the west coast we’re in the middle of what some of us might like to think of as a snow storm. The definition of snow storm being when snow falls from the sky, lands on the ground and stays there.

Of course if you’ve spent a winter anywhere else in Canada you’re going to be laughing at first, because the snow storm thats going to see Vancouver hunker down in our homes with our gas powered fireplaces cranked up all the way, is a light snow fall anywhere else. Hell in Winnipeg this qualifies as Spring.

Okay, maybe I’m indulging in a little hyperbole here, but trust me if you’re from outside of the Lower Mainland and this is your first time driving in Vancouver snow, you’re in for a treat. And by treat I mean you’re going to pull your hair out as you watch a city full of people drive around like a half inch of snow might actually cause their car to flip and burst into flames.

It’s not the weather you’ve got to watch out for, it’s the drivers.

After the rain.

Lori K. — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 03:55:23 +0000

The best thing about rain in late July in Vancouver is that downtown and Gastown don’t smell like pee.

Weather

Lori K. — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:35:00 +0000

The weather has cooled off in the past couple of nights, so I pulled out my favourite p.js.

Anthony Bourdain’s Vancouver visit

Jeffery Simpson — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:46:23 +0000

Former chef Anthony Bourdain is famous around foodie circles both for his books, the most notable being Kitchen Confidential, and the niche he’s carved for himself as a travel food journalist with his show No Reservations which is shown on the Travel Channel down in the States. The most talked about shtick on the show is when Bourdain will eat something stomach turning, presenting audiences with a reality television version of the monkey brains scene from Temple of Doom.

Vancouver seems an odd destination for the show, since it’s neither one of the major food capitals of the world nor a place where one is likely to find something quite so unusual as a cobra heart like he ate in Vietnam. Still our city was one of the destinations for the show on this season, and while you won’t find it on Canadian television thanks to YouTube we can watch the episode online (for now).

I’ve said before that having outsiders come to Vancouver is a great way to get a new perspective on the city, and see just how much other people appreciate what we have there. Granted some of the eating that he does in the episode is way beyond a lot of people’s pocket books (mine included) but it’s still a great indication of what we have in our city.

The first three parts of the episode after the jump.

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