Vancouver, Tropical Punch Bowl

January 17th, 2005

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Vancouver

Vancouver, Tropical Punch Bowl

You know, I rarely comment on the weather, but this must have been the wettest day for years. The Heavens have been pelting down on us since well before dawn. This webcam shot does little to convey how wet it is outside. This CBC article says 300 millimetres (that’s a foot) of rain is forecast to fall by Thursday.

Streets had to be closed off all over Greater Vancouver–and many homes and businesses were flooded. In the Fraser Valley, freezing rain caused treacherous driving conditions forcing schools in Mission to close. Gord and Colleen Dunn who live in the Arbutus area of Vancouver spent the day scooping out water. “Right now, we’re not even winning. It’s coming in faster than we’re dumping it out,” says Gord Dunn, adding it’s the first time in the 50 years their home has been flooded.

Living in a small box on the 25th floor has its priveleges (assuming, you know, the condo doesn’t leak horribly).

Comments: 8 Responses so far

Stephen Pierzchala
January 17th, 2005
8:58 pm

Darren:

Look, having lived most of my adult life on the Wet Coast…I think you should come spend some time at our place hear in Massachusetts.

It’s currently -12C…and likely to get colder this week.

I will take flooded streets anyday.

Great pic of the Burrard Bridge.

smp

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Mark
January 17th, 2005
9:48 pm

I’m assuming they pay someone to think up these wacky names for the warm + wet combo. This year it’s a “tropical punch”, last year it was a “pineapple express”. Whatever next?

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Mark
January 17th, 2005
9:48 pm

Or rather, I am hoping they _don’t_ pay someone :)

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Declan
January 17th, 2005
11:37 pm

Yeah, I got totally, utterly, drenched today. It sucks, but I guess winter had to come to an end sooner or later.

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Sue
January 18th, 2005
11:12 am

The flooding is amusing. I’ll bet anyone with half a brain in their heads went outside when it started to rain and made sure all the snow was cleared away from the storm drains on their block, and I bet those blocks haven’t been flooded. It just takes a little bit of memory (of previous floodings) and a little bit of foresight (to prevent this time).

I refuse to pity people who don’t take preventative action when it’s available to them.

Good heavens, that picture of Darren on the Preview page is alarming.

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donna
January 18th, 2005
11:58 am

Mmm, apartment buildings that don’t flood… the benefit of a place that’s about 50-60 years old. These things were built to last. :)

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double-plus-ungood
January 18th, 2005
12:00 pm

I’m bike commuting in this crap, and the worst flooding that I saw yesterday morning (Monday) was where ice dams had formed beside the huge speed-bumps along the Adanac Bike route. They were melted later in the day.

You know it’s raining hard when it bleeds through GoreTex™

Dude! Your head in the preview is HUGE.

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