Thursday, October 22, 2009

SkyWatch Friday ~ A sign of things to come

Storm growing in intensity as high tide nears on Tuesday afternoon.
The Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii are known for their ferious winter storms. We have the highest consistent wind velocity of anywhere in Canada or is it the world, the third most dangerous piece of water seperating us from mainland British Columbia in the world and some of the highest tides in the world.
Beauty can be found even in the storm.
So when all three of these factures come together at the same time you can have some pretty heady storms. Unlike many of the recent storms we have seen from around the world the storms here on Haida Gwaii are an almost daily occurance during the winter.
The surf coming in on Balance Rock
Stopping ferry service for weeks and cancelling air traffic to and from the islands however you generally don't hear about these storms on the news because they are a part of our life and we accept that there is nothing we can do but be prepared.

This was my home four years ago on Christmas eve day when 100 km/hour winds, combined with 24 foot tides and a two foot storm surge scoured our eastern shore line and moved things around. As you can see I got all the firewood I needed plus eight inches of water in the cabin! The shoreline was eroded four feet bringing the beach within two feet of the cabin....I moved in the spring!

For other great skies from arond the world why not join us at
SkyWatch Friday.


15 comments:

Louise said...

Nothing quite as exhilarating as a stormy sea! Great captures.

Anonymous said...

Wow, quite some stormy weather you have there! I'm wondering if you're brave or mad to live with that weather? Actually, I think you're blessed to live in such a beautiful place even with the excitement!

eileeninmd said...

I can not imagine what it would be like to have a house to close to shore. The scenery is gorgeous even with the sotrmy skies.

Susan Ellis said...

Amazing...the sky, the ocean, the land. What a great place to live if one wants to feel alive.

Sylvia K said...

Wow! What marvelous stormy skies, Carolyn! And you're right, we've missed them here in Seattle -- for now! Terrific captures!

Enjoy your weekend!

Sylvia

Janie said...

Your storms are beautiful and dramatic to see in photos, but i would imagine being cut off from the world for weeks might be a big problem at times.
Must've been scary to live in your old home and have the ocean move in!

Tammie Lee said...

these do look like serious storms. I can see why you moved. Mother nature has her way!
Spirithelpers

Lori Skoog said...

Beautiful photos.
That last one really shows you the power of the water.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Carolyn: What wonderful captures as the weather starts for a cold Fall. Sorry about the water damage but it is part of living near the beauty of the ocean.

kden said...

Wonderful stormy skies. Fun to watch from a safe distance.

Powell River Books said...

Looks like you almost ended up with a float cabin, but not by choice. That must have been really scary! I don't mind the rain up the lake, but the big winds give me quite a jerk, literally. The jerk the cabin back on forth on it's cables so hard sometimes they break. The one night that I lost two crucial cables was a horrible experience, but taught me that I can survive some pretty strong winds. - Margy

EG CameraGirl said...

Sounds like life is an adventure every day throughout the winter months. Yep, lots of firewood in the lat photo but I can understand why you decided to move. The shore was getting way too close!

Deborah Godin said...

That has to be one of the most intense feelings of helplessness, watching the logs and water surging in! We're having a Lake Erie autumn blast today - like your top photo, a lot of gray sky and water, brightened only by the waves.

Linda said...

Very powerful images. It must have been terrifying to have the sea come so close.

Kay said...

'Amharc trid na Stoirmeacha.' This is a gaelic saying that translates 'Look through the Storm'
That must have been very scary though. Your cabin looks very familiar to me. I think my daughter-in-law and son lived there up until just recently or I could be mistaken.
Enjoy all the photos on your blog.
Karin

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