Photos Blizzard 2014

Here are a couple of photos from around the house this morning.  The wind got so bad at around 6:00 AM that it woke us up.  Stuff on the shelves was rattling and it sure sounded like we were going to have windows blown in.  Nothing happened and we are okay.

 

Photo of my parents house.  Taken through the living room window.

My snowmobile.  Looks like I have some digging to do.

usually doesn't drift in this section of road.

My Honda ATV!

Corner by our front door.

Look down our road, the satellite dishes and the hamlet truck.

The Hamlet truck is now a snow sculpture.

Blizzard 2014

First blizzard of the year.  Michele took the video below of the wind and snow tonight.  The blowing snow kept messing with the autofocus.  We will try to take a video in the daytime tomorrow since the blizzard is forecast to stick around until tomorrow night. 

 

Winds in Cape Dorset will be gusting to 110 km/hr overnight.  Winds in Iqaluit are sustained at 110km/hr which is just 9km/hr less than a category 1 hurricane. 

 

 

Another video of the blizzard looking out our dining room window.  Taken at around 21:30.

 

The house is shaking, crackling and vibrating!  Wow just wow.

Here Comes The Snow

We have been pretty lucky and haven't had much snow but the temps are dropping and the snow is starting.  Only had a couple of days of summer this year and it was just mosquito weather when it did happen.

 

That's not a wall of fog.

Only a couple of minutes later.

 

It's almost snowmobiling time!

High Winds = Sunk Boats

High winds overnight combined with a high tide spelt doom for five boats in the Inlet.

 

Three of the sunk boats are to the left.  The green boat was being hauled out after breaking lose and getting beached.  Doesn't look to have been damaged to bad.

Close up of three of the sunk boats.

 

One more boat sunk close to the Aarluk. 

 

Goodbye Ice

Even if it did snow last night the Ice in the inlet is finally almost gone.  Just this last piece is resisting the wind and tides.   

 

Blizzard and Optics

We have a blizzard that will be starting overnight.  The wind has already started to throw up some snow and ice crystals making for some nice atmospheric optics around the sun. 

 

Seen below is a 22deg Halo, faint 135deg Halo, Parhelions (sun dog),  Upper Tangent Arc and a Circumzenithal arc 

Sun Transit time

One of the things about living in the northern reaches of Canada is the satellite signals get interrupted when the satellites align with the sun.  Happens a couple of times a year.  See below for when and the lengths of disturbance.

 

Sun Transits for Fall 2012 for Qikiqtaaluk, Kivalliq and Kitikmeot regions:

Iqaluit, Nunavut

Sun Transit Predictions

Fall 2012

Predicted Degradation

Outage Date	Start GMT (hh:mm:ss)	End GMT (hh:mm:ss)	Duration (Minutes)	Max C/N degrad. (dB)
OCT. 8	19:19:49	19:25:25	5.6	1.7
OCT. 9	19:16:57	19:27:45	10.8	3.02
OCT. 10	19:15:29	19:28:41	13.2	8.3
OCT. 11	19:14:26	19:29:14	14.8	13.43
OCT. 12	19:13:47	19:29:23	15.6	16.53
OCT. 13	19:13:21	19:29:21	16	17.36
OCT. 14	19:13:19	19:28:55	15.6	15.91
OCT. 15	19:13:42	19:28:06	14.4	12.28
OCT. 16	19:14:18	19:27:06	12.8	6.94
OCT. 17	19:15:30	19:25:30	10	2.47
OCT. 18	19:18:18	19:22:18	4	1.6

Rankin Inlet, Nunavut

Sun Transit Predictions

Fall 2012

Predicted Degradation

Outage Date	Start GMT (hh:mm:ss)	End GMT (hh:mm:ss)	Duration (Minutes)	Max C/N degrad. (dB)
OCT. 8	19:15:39	19:18:51	3.2	1.56
OCT. 9	19:11:59	19:21:59	10	2.43
OCT. 10	19:10:19	19:23:07	12.8	7.07
OCT. 11	19:09:04	19:23:52	14.8	12.49
OCT. 12	19:08:25	19:24:01	15.6	16.06
OCT. 13	19:07:59	19:23:59	16	17.38
OCT. 14	19:07:57	19:23:33	15.6	16.41
OCT. 15	19:08:08	19:22:56	14.8	13.23
OCT. 16	19:08:44	19:21:56	13.2	8.18
OCT. 17	19:09:44	19:20:32	10.8	3.07
OCT. 18	19:11:56	19:17:56	6	1.73

Cambridge Bay, Nunavut

Sun Transit Predictions

Fall 2012

Predicted Degradation

Outage Date	Start GMT (hh:mm:ss)	End GMT (hh:mm:ss)	Duration (Minutes)	Max C/N degrad. (dB)
OCT. 9	19:10:02	19:15:38	5.6	1.7
OCT. 10	19:07:10	19:17:58	10.8	3
OCT. 11	19:05:43	19:18:55	13.2	8.24
OCT. 12	19:04:40	19:19:28	14.8	13.36
OCT. 13	19:04:02	19:19:38	15.6	16.49
OCT. 14	19:03:36	19:19:36	16	17.37
OCT. 15	19:03:35	19:19:11	15.6	15.99
OCT. 16	19:03:47	19:18:35	14.8	12.45
OCT. 17	19:04:35	19:17:23	12.8	7.19
OCT. 18	19:05:47	19:15:47	10	2.58
OCT. 19	19:08:13	19:13:01	4.8	1.64

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Sunk Boat

We went to the store today and noticed one of the boats only had the nose still sticking out of the water.   Apparently it belongs to the Mayor of Cape Dorset.  The photos below were taken from our house.  I'm really missing my big zoom lens. 

Good thing the anchor and buoy held the boat in place.

A couple of guys to the rescuer.  The water is very rough at the moment. There were lots of white caps on the Inlet today.

Towing the boat back to shore.  The boat should be fine but the motor might not like the salt water.

November Blizzard

Michele recorded a video of the blizzard in Cape Dorset last night.

Waves go Boom!

Last wave photo for a bit but with the weather we've been having in Cape Dorset they have been great.

Foggy Photography

The fog, combined with rain and wind, is still hanging around .  I got cabin fever the other night and headed out with my camera gear.  It's like driving around in a wet bubble with visibility down to 300 meters.  Did find a new path when I was exploring and came across this Inuksuk on top of a hill.  When the weather is nice again I'll go back and see what the view is like.

Fog and Water

It was worth going out the other night just to see the large surf crashing to shore at the park.  The fog meant I had to go into the stupid zone to get the photos.  The fog has currently lifted from Cape Dorset but word is it will roll back in later tonight.  Hope there are still big waves coming in.

The water was spraying about 6 meters into the air at this spot.

Spent a lot of time just watching the large waves crashing in.

The waves were huge!

Very Foggy

Not much to see today.

Dump Turkey

Back on the east cost we always called Seagulls "Dump Turkey's" because they were very common and always at the dump.  Never did find out if they tasted like turkeys.  Although they are common south, in Nunavut they are one of the first signs the brief summer is starting. 

I had left a bag of bread on the counter and one or more of the cats tore the bag and destroyed the bread inside.  So instead of throwing it in the garbage I figured it was a good excuse to bait some birds for photos.  The best of the results are below.

My favourite photo of the evening.  I originally passed it off as a failed photo but after looking at it again the eye kept drawing me in.  Taken just as the seagull was taking off.

The bait.  I had to stand outside for about an hour before they would start going for the food.  Luckily the last couple of days have been sunny and warm.  Today it's 2C but feels liks 20C.

The first investigator on the scene.  Didn't care for me being so close to the bait.

Was a failed photo until I noticed this shadow.

Fighting over a prime spot.

A rare moment in the summer.  A raven and a seagull in the same place. 

My second favourite photo of the evening.

This would have been my favourite if it had been in focus and the other seagull wasn't in the photo.  But a friend at work liked it the best and wanted to see it on the blog.  So blame him not me.

Climate Change

I live in the Arctic.

It is December.

It has been raining since Friday!

On Saturday night, when I arrived at the weekly poker game, one of the guys said I looked like a glazed donut.

Everything is covered in ice and very slippery.

Here’s hoping the cold weather and snow will return soon.

Sun Transit

Here is a uniquely northern occurrence.

Twice yearly the sun in the northern skies will line up with the orbiting satellites and the signal from the satellites are drowned out by the solar particles. This will affect all satellite communications for up to 15 minutes a day from October 9th – 17th including television, cell phone and internet.

The schedules below come from Telesat Canada.

Iqaluit, Nunavut - Qikiqtaaluk Region

Date - Start Time - Duration
Oct. 9   – 19:19:49 – 5.2 min
Oct. 10 – 19:17:09 – 10 min
Oct. 11 – 19:15:53 – 12 min
Oct. 12 – 19:15:03 – 13.2 min
Oct. 13 – 19:14:36 – 13.6 min
Oct. 14 – 19:14:22 – 13.6 min
Oct. 15 – 19:14:45 – 12.4 min
Oct. 16 – 19:15:20 – 10.8 min
Oct. 17 – 19:16:56 – 7.2 min

Rankin Inlet, Nunavut - Kivalliq Region

Date - Start Time - Duration
Oct. 9 – 19:15:27 – 3.2 min
Oct. 10 – 19:12:11 – 9.2 min
Oct. 11 – 19:10:43 – 11.6 min
Oct. 12 – 19:09:41 – 13.2 min
Oct. 13 – 19:09:14 – 13.6 min
Oct. 14 – 19:09:00 – 13.6 min
Oct. 15 – 19:09:11 – 12.8 min
Oct. 16 – 19:09:46 – 11.2 min
Oct. 17 – 19:10:58 – 8.4 min

Cambridge Bay, Nunavut - Kitikmeot Region

Date - Start Time - Duration
Oct. 9 – 19:10:02 – 5.2 min
Oct. 10 – 19:07:22 – 10 min
Oct. 11 – 19:06:08 – 12 min
Oct. 12 – 19:05:17 – 13.2 min
Oct. 13 – 19:04:51 – 13.6 min
Oct. 14 – 19:04:38 – 13.6 min
Oct. 15 – 19:05:01 – 12.4 min
Oct. 16 – 19:05:37 – 10.8 min
Oct. 17 – 19:07:02 – 7.6 min

IQ Day Continued...

Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Day (IQ) turned out to be a cold, windy experience. Went to a different lake than I usually go to. This one had very little snow on the ice and you could see to the bottom. First time I ever got to see fish swimming by the hole. We were able to reuse holes already drilled making things much easier. Photos below.

More than fishing was happening and Mike got a goose.

Me holding the big fish. It was the largest until about an hour to go and Mike got one that was 1" bigger.

Close up of the behemoth. It tasted great. After laying on my belly for two hours looking down the hole I said "Screw this I brought a chair". The blue pad helped block the wind and let me be nice and cozy. They stopped making fun of me once I caught the above Arctic Char. I stayed at that hole all day while everyone else kept moving from hole to hole.

Shot of the some of the group and equipment at the lake.

Thanks goes out to Ken for the above photos.

The Weather

So it's May 30, 2009 and it's snowing. At least it will be a nice walk to poker tonight.

I thought this was a neat shot of the snow flakes.

First Blizzard

We had our first blizzard of the year for Cape Dorset on Sunday. Wasn't a bad one but Environment Canada says it's a blizzard then it's a blizzard. We stayed indoors today only wonder out long enough to take the photos below.

The vehicle Michele uses from the Hamlet.

I was able to snap a photo with the flash to attempt freezing the action. It gives a better representation of how hard it is to see in the middle of a blizzard.

Another view of the Hamlet.

Holidays are here

We leave for holidays tomorrow. We start in New Brunswick then move on to the Caribbean cruise the end of November. We will try to do updates as the holidays continue but don't be surprised if we don't. I also have some things to blog about that I haven't had the time to sit down and write about them. So maybe I will have the time now.

The weather has been bad the last few days but the weather forecast says clearing tomorrow. If we get delayed it won't affect Michele because she is staying a couple of days in Iqaluit. On the other hand I am travelling straight through and if we get delayed it's going to cost me some coin to change. Dam you Air Canada.

Wish us luck.