Tag Archives: Cortes Weather

Weather

Experts expect mild winter conditions, concerns for drought season next year

Editor’s note: This story is of interest to Cortes, Read and Quadra Island readers because we are going through another El Niño phase, which calls for warmer temperatures and less precipitation. In addition, the BC Government’s model for Climate Change is: “Warmer temperatures in all seasons; smaller snowpacks and loss of glaciers; Stronger storm surges and rising sea levels.”

By Alexandra Mehl, Ha-Shilth-Sa, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

After a summer of extreme drought, experts are concerned for conditions next year as they predict mild winter weather, with a November precipitation deficit.

Armel Castellan, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, says the last several weeks have seen less precipitation than a typical fall.

Continue reading Experts expect mild winter conditions, concerns for drought season next year →
Cost of Climate Change

Climate Adaptation workshop on Cortes Island

Around 60 representatives from social profits on Cortes, Quadra, and a number of the other islands recently gathered at Hollyhock. One of the breakout sessions was on climate adaption. Cortes Currents subsequently met with Max Thaysen, facilitator of that workshop, as well as Bruce Ellingsen, a participant.  

“I was asked to host a conversation about climate adaptation, which we expanded into climate mitigation, stopping the pollution that’s causing the damage and adjusting our systems and life ways to be able to tolerate the pollution and the damage,” explained Thaysen.

Continue reading Climate Adaptation workshop on Cortes Island →
Cost of Climate Change, Weather

FOCI’s Climate Change and Drought Report

When the rain finally started about 5 PM on Sunday, October 23, Cortes Island had received almost no precipitation for 97 days. The “Rain’ chart at Cortes Island School shows that 3.5 mm of rain fell overnight and I can hear the drizzle continuing to fall on my roof early Monday morning. Hopefully light rains will continue to soften up the soil before we receive a downpour.

“The 2022 drought is worse than people think, it’s worse than scientists predicted, and its impacts up and down the coast are a lot worse than I had even feared when I started researching it,” said Forrest Berman-Hatch, author of FOCI Report: Climate Change and Drought.

Continue reading FOCI’s Climate Change and Drought Report →
Rivers & Oceans

One year after the marine die-off

It has been twelve months since billions of marine animals along the West Coast of British Columbia perished during a record breaking heat wave. Temperatures of between 35°C and 40°C were recorded at the Cortes Island School during the last five days of June.

Continue reading One year after the marine die-off →
Energy, Weather

Keeping the grid up on Cortes Island

Trying to keep the grid up has been very challenging these past three weeks. BC Hydro crews were constantly on call throughout the region, since Christmas Eve, repairing power outages caused by falling trees and snow encrusted power lines. Sub-zero temperatures meant skyrocketing heating bills. When local resident John Sprungman recently asked why his lights were flickering, a BC Hydro repair technician informed him that Cortes Island is trying to draw more power than the infrastructure on Cortes can handle. BC set a new record for peak electricity demand between 5 and 6 PM on December 27th, 2021: 10,902 megawatts.

Continue reading Keeping the grid up on Cortes Island →