Happy Saturday, Squamish!
Environment Canada says we can expect a mix of sun and cloud today. The wind will blow from the north at 20 km/h, except 50 over southern sections this morning. It will become light early this afternoon.
We will see a high of 3 C today—it will feel like -13 C this morning due to the wind chill—and an overnight low of -6 C, which will feel like -12 with the wind chill.
Sunshine with chilly temps will last through Tuesday.
Sunrise & sunset
Sunrise on Jan. 18 is at 8:02 a.m. Sunset today will be at 4:45 p.m.
Moon phase
It is a waning gibbous moon tonight, folks!
"The term waning means decreasing, and the term gibbous means 'humped-back.' Therefore, this phase is called waning gibbous because the surface area of the moon that you see is decreasing and the shape of the lit-up part of the moon looks like a hump-back," explains the Kopernik Observatory & Science Center site.
The moon's illumination is currently 78.98%.
It is currently located in the constellation of Virgo, according to phasesmoon.com.
Moonrise is at 10:26 p.m.; moonset is at 10:11 a.m.
B.C. extremes
Yesterday's hot spot in all of B.C. was North Cowichan, which saw a high of 8.4 C, according to Environment Canada data.
It was also the hotspot in all of Canada!
(The high in Squamish yesterday was 6.6 C.)
The coldest spot in B.C. on Jan. 17 was Fort Nelson, which dipped to -28.8 C.
Today's hot spot in B.C. is slated to be Discovery Island (two nautical miles east of Victoria on southern Vancouver Island.), which could reach 5.8 C.
The coldest spot in the province is predicted to be Fort Nelson, which could see a low of -30.2 C today. Yikes, that is nippy!
Tides
Today, high tide is at 9:03 a.m. (height: 4.77 metres); The next low tide today is at 3:22 p.m. (2.83 m), according to tide-forecast.com.
The final tide, a high tide, will be at 8:16 p.m. (3.68 m).
Seawater temp
According to seatemperature.info, the water temperature in Howe Sound today is 7 C.
Based on the site's historical data over a period of 10 years, the warmest water in this day in Howe Sound was recorded in 2015 and was 7.5 C, and the coldest was recorded in 2012 at 5.4 C.
Seawater temperature in Howe Sound is expected to drop to 6.4 C in the next 10 days.
January average water temperature in Howe Sound is 6.5 C, the minimum temperature is 5.1 C, and the maximum is 7.8 C.
Avalanche Forecast
According to avalog.co, today, the alpine rating is low, the treeline rating is low, and the below treeline rating is low.
Known problems include wind slabs.
The advice for today from avalog.co is:
"Assess for wind slab as you move through terrain. Lingering wind slabs may remain reactive to human-triggering in isolated locations below alpine ridgetops.."
- Wind slabs are isolated, but may remain reactive.
- The snowpack is generally stable; it may be appropriate to step out into more complex terrain.
- Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.
- A hard crust on the snow surface will help strengthen the snowpack, but may cause tough travel conditions.
Sea to Sky Gondola conditions
The Sea to Sky Gondola is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, with the last download at 6 p.m.
Grooming:
*Backcountry Access Road to Upper Shannon Creek bridge (3km return): Last Groomed : Jan. 17.
Grooming starts from lodge.
*Sky Pilot Valley Trail (5km return): Last Groomed : Jan. 17.
99 cm of snow at the snow groomer turnaround at 1,050 m. 0 cm new snow over the last 24 hrs.
(See more of the conditions at the gondola.)
Events to note
There's always something going on in this town.
Tonight, there's Learn to play Dungeons & Dragons at Arrow Wood Games (16+), located at 38157 2 Ave., from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
"The perfect gateway into the world of D&D. This event requires tickets to be purchased in advance," reads the listing.
Also tonight, there's Infinite Brothers: MURGE B2B NEIL JAM3S at Trickster's Hideout, located at 38005 Cleveland Ave., from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
"Genre-bending beats and electrifying energy as Infinite Brothers—featuring Neil Jam3s and Murge—take over the stage for an epic back-to-back DJ set," reads the listing.
There are many more events coming up; go to our online events calendar to see them all! Want a possible shout-out in our daily report? Load your event into our free calendar by clicking "Create an event."
Be whale aware
Winter tires
Don't forget, since Oct. 1, winter tires or chains are required on the Sea to Sky Highway. It is the law.
"Passenger vehicles and light trucks need to use tires that have the three-peaked mountain and snowflake symbol or 'M+S' on the sidewall. This applies to two-wheel, all-wheel, and four-wheel drive vehicles. The tires need to be in good condition and have a tread depth of at least 3.5 mm (5/32”)," reads the 4 Road Safety at Work site.
"Designated winter tires are your best option for staying safe in winter conditions. We recommend using a set of four matched winter tires with the three-peaked mountain and snowflake symbol."
The tires must stay on through to March 31. Not having proper winter tires or chains can earn drivers a fine of $121.
Driving issues to note:
• Parking on select streets in Squamish is now restricted to one side only, until March 1, 2025.
"This ensures snow plows and emergency vehicles can safely navigate during winter conditions," says the District.
"Vehicles parking on the No Parking side of the street may be ticketed and towed at any time to ensure community safety. The fine for impeding snow removal is $250."
Affected streets:
- Hemlock Avenue - Cedar Drive to Spruce Drive
- Chestnut Avenue - Cedar Drive to Spruce Drive
- Fir Street - Pine Drive to Spruce Dr.
- Third Avenue - Pemberton Avenue to Winnipeg Street (No parking on East side); Pemberton Avenue to Vancouver Street (No parking on West side)
- Fourth Avenue - Winnipeg Street to Main Street (No parking on West side)
- Fifth Avenue - Winnipeg Street to Main Street. (No parking on West side)
- Sixth Avenue - Entire street. (No parking on West side)
- Eaglewind Boulevard - No perimeter parking near the roundabout at the end of Pemberton Avenue
- Edgewater Drive - Government Road to Edgewater Crescent (No parking on East side)
- Edgewater Crescent - Entire street. (No parking on the outside perimeter of the Crescent)
- No Name Road - Entire street. (No parking on East side)
- Brothers Place - Entire street. (No parking on South side)
- Britannia Avenue - Magee Street to Buckley Avenue. (No parking on East side)
- Harris Road - Government Road to cul-de-sac (No parking on South side)
- Hope Road - Depot Road to Axen Road (No parking on East side)
- Diamond Road- Tantalus Road to Garibaldi Way. No parking on North side.
- Diamond Head Road - Garibaldi Way to Mamquam Road- No parking on West side.
- Glacier View Drive - Entire street. No parking on the outside perimeter.
To find out more, go to: squamish.ca/winter-parking.
Issues to note on the highway
*On Highway 99, northbound, there will be ditching at Alice Lake Rd (Squamish), starting on Monday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 a.m. until Monday, at 5:30 p.m. The right lane will be closed. Work taking place 700 metres north of Cheekye River Bridge.
Gas prices
In Squamish today, regular gas is going for 174.9 cents per litre at most local stations.
In Whistler, you can fill up for 173.9/L at the Co-op at 2101 Lake Placid Rd.
In Pemberton, you will find petrol for 165.9/L at the Petro-Canada, located at 1440 Portage Rd.
The cheapest gas in Vancouver is at the Mobil at 350 SE Marine Dr., where you can fill up for 174.9/L, according to Gas Buddy.
The cheapest gas in B.C. can be found in Grand Forks, where you can fill up for 148.8/L at Super Save Gas, at 2773 Central Ave.
