weather question (dumb I know)

[limbery]

Hi....I'm in the process of relocating to the wonderful Nanaimo area and am presently here on the prairies enjoying a miserable cold and windy day....I know there's going to be more rain than I'm accustomed to....but how about wind? Is there a lot of windy days there and is it a consideration to think that perhaps there's a plus to locating away from the water for more shelter as opposed to my first impulse that "if I'm going to do a major move to the island, I want an ocean-view darnit!"?
Len

[WorldTraveller]

My husband and I relocated from northern Alberta last year. Some of our observations about the weather on Vancouver Island are as follows"
- There wasn't nearly as much rain as we were expecting (but I think that might be an anomaly)
- The temperature doesn't swing as wildly here as it does in Alberta/Saskatchewan. In the prairies you can expect really hot summer (up to 40C), and in the winter extreme cold (as cold as -50C). But here in Nanaimo it's a lot milder. In the 10 months we've been here it's been as cold as -20C (but that was the coldest in the last 30 years), and about +32C in the summer.
- The spring is a lot drier and longer lasting and the autumn lasts for a lot longer than in the prairies too (and it's unbelievably gorgeous).

A lot of people expressed that the winter we just had was very cold and "brutal", but last year in Northern Alberta it was -45C for weeks and weeks, so it didn't seem very cold or snowy to us here. I'm excited to see what a "normal" winter is like here.

Hope this helps.

[limbery]

I'm looking forward to the "moderation" in climate...mind you, the only times I've been to that area in the past have been in Dec....and the -5 rainy temp felt just as bad as the -25 at home to me...but I'll be out there next week to house hunt and I'm looking forward to some nice spring weather (hopefully)
Len

[shara]

I grew up in Red Deer and have been here about as long as worldtraveller. I agree with everything he said. On top of that my dh and I have lived in the lower mainland quite a bit and also find it to be drier and less rainy here then there. A nice change. Plus I like that it snows just a bit in the winter for those times when you miss it but not enough that you feel you have to flee to mexico in february lol!

[Nostradama]

Hi....I'm in the process of relocating to the wonderful Nanaimo area and am presently here on the prairies enjoying a miserable cold and windy day....I know there's going to be more rain than I'm accustomed to....but how about wind? Is there a lot of windy days there and is it a consideration to think that perhaps there's a plus to locating away from the water for more shelter as opposed to my first impulse that "if I'm going to do a major move to the island, I want an ocean-view darnit!"?
Len

I lived for several years right on the beach in Nanaimo, and then for several years a block away from the beach, with nothing between me and the beach but a bridge, a four-lane street and a park. From listening to the stories that a friend who lived in Nanaimo for over twenty years and then moved south of Edmonton has told me, the winds in Nanaimo are absolutely nothing in comparison to Alberta winds, so I don't think you should rate that too high on your list of considerations. In my opinion, there aren't that many windy days, and when we do have one, most people think "Good day for sailing" instead of worrying about whether or not their roof shingles or even their roof is going to blow off. About two months ago my now prairie-dwelling friend and her husband lost a huge number of roof shingles and her husband's commute time was about doubled because he was driving into the wind. I only remember one storm strong enough in the thirty-nine years I've lived here to take over a large number of trees, (it was Grey Cup Day, and most people lost their power and couldn't watch the game) although what happens in one neighbourhood might not happen in another. So there may have been other windstorms that I don't remember or didn't know about, but I think it's fair to say that prairie-type windstorms are very, very rare here.

If I were you, and you want an ocean view, I wouldn't worry about Nanaimo winds.

[shara]

Does your friend live in Southern alberta? lol It's really quite windy there. We never had winds like that in red deer really except the very odd storm like when the tornado went through (ghost) pine lake.

[Nostradama]

Does your friend live in Southern alberta? lol It's really quite windy there. We never had winds like that in red deer really except the very odd storm like when the tornado went through (ghost) pine lake.

They live about fifty miles southwest of Edmonton, out in the boonies. No cable (so they got satellite), dial-up internet service and they tie up their phone if they use their phone line for internet access. I didn't realize that still existed anywhere until a brother-in-law moved to a rural area of BC's interior recently and he's in the same fix. The first four or five months there, Telus didn't install a phone, and gave them a cell phone to use in the interim. Pretty primitive for people who'd lived for a long time in the north end, but they'd spent a fair bit of time living in the bush outside Smithers in the '70s, so none of it was a big shock for them. And they're very adaptable people. They commute every day, and there's no place on earth they'd rather be. He's even turned down two job offers which were better because they won't leave the house and acreage they have now.

[shara]

Oh yeah we had the same problems when I lived in Lac La Biche. Only dial up and the cell phone service was horrible. No cable except right in town but pretty much everyone had satellite. It's definitely a change for people who are used to living in places with a dense population. I lived up in Terrace too but the services there were pretty good.

I'm a little bit surprised and the winds southwest of Edmonton since it's still quite well treed there. Southern Alberta is quite well-known for the winds. I've been to a few places where the wind just about blew me over lol

[Tenspot]

I have heard that down by Departure Bay (Cilaire) is the most temperate area in North America. I know that an associate had a big garden, and the growth was far ahead anywhere else I've seen.

[yogi bear]

Hi all,

Actually Nanaimo holds the record for the lowest average number of thunderstorms of any city in Canada...so if you love a good lightning show, sorry this isn't the burg : )

But we do have a wonderful climate, I believe the term is " Modified Mediterranean" due to the warming effect of the Japanese current that flows offshore from the Island producing cool summers and warm winters...I really don't feel we have a traditional Canadian winter here, really just a long stretched out autumn and spring : ) As for moisture, it's not as bad as one would be led to believe due to the rainshadow effect of the Insular mountain ranges (Victoria does even better in this regard due to the Olympic Mtns. in Washington state that are higher in elevation)...Vancouver city tends to get more precipitation then Nanaimo as the prevailing weather tend to come up against the North Shore mtns. and cause precipitation to fall, especially in areas like North Van....

We do get an odd bit of wind here, but I'd say nothing compared to the prairies...the two windiest places I've been are Lethbridge and the Foothills area around Pincher Creek.....there's a reason for all those windmills around there.... : )

Cheers,
Al