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- Wednesday, August 16, 2023 - Othello Tunnel update
Wednesday, August 16, 2023 - Othello Tunnel update
Tyler Olsen
August 16, 2023
Wednesday, August 16, 2023 | Today: ☀ High 33C
Good morning!
The heat is supposed to abate a bit tomorrow, which is great. But the winds are supposed to really kick up. So keep that in mind if you’re heading into the BC Interior, where fire crews will be on high alert.
I came across this satellite imagery yesterday. It let’s you see the last day of weather from the sky. These days, it’s particularly interesting to watch how fires kick up smoke across our province. This is from yesterday afternoon, but you can check out the very latest here. (Or you can see what it looks like in reverse.
Today, in our Insider section at the bottom of the newsletter, I have more insight from a recent conversation with a fire weather expert about why the end of a heat wave can be the most dangerous time for wildfires.
Tomorrow, meanwhile, we’ll have a very interesting story about how a tiny local community has managed something the provincial government has failed to do this week: connect its most vulnerable residents with important cooling devices with few barriers. That story, and everything else you read, is made possible by Insider members like Barbara and Nina. You can join them and take advantage of our August 40% off sale here.
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WORTH KNOWING
🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope
⚠️ Here’s the current smoke forecast / Check the BC Wildfire Dashboard here
🚘 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google, and find DriveBC’s latest updates.
NEWS
A glimpse of the end of the tunnel?
📷 BC Parks
Rebuilding the Othello Tunnels will be a “multi-year process,” provincial officials say. But Hope’s Mayor hopes the park will reopen next summer.
Nearly two years have passed since the massive flooding in the Coquihalla Canyon thrashed Othello’s bridges and tunnels.
Related story
Need to know
🚓 Police were called after a dog was locked in a car Monday afternoon in Mission [Mission Record]
👉 A Hope campground has created a mural featuring a Sasquatch holding a chainsaw [Hope Standard]
🚧 Construction on Vedder Road will continue through the start of the school year [Fraser Valley Today]
👉 A pair of 2012 ganglands killings was revenge for the murder of Jonathan Bacon, prosecutors said at the sentencing of a man involved in all three slayings [Vancouver Sun]
⚖ Gun charges were thrown out because a police officer searched a cabinet before obtaining a warrant [Langley Advance Times]
👉 Harrison’s mayor says council is as split as it has ever been and wants to investigate his investigators [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]
🚑 A 30-year-old man drowned last weekend at Lindeman Lake [Chilliwack Progress]
🔥 Crews have finally fully extinguished the wildfire near Cannell Lake in Mission [Mission Record]
🔎 The body of a Surrey man who drowned in Cultus Lake last month has been found [Chilliwack Progress]
SPONSORED BY CODE NINJAS
Back to school with Code Ninjas!
Ready to begin an epic journey into the world of coding and technology? For the month of August, discover Code Ninjas Abbotsford with a FREE session, where kids aged 5-15 become fearless tech creators by crafting their own video games!
Guided by our “Code Senseis," they'll conquer coding challenges while boosting problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Unlocking the magic of technology has never been this exciting.
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Southwestern BC is seeing Level 4 drought conditions, with some parts of the province in the midst of a Level 5 drought. 📷 BC Drought Information Portal
Droughts affecting local rivers
The Fraser Valley is in a Stage 4 drought, and its rivers are paying the price. Across the valley, river levels are well below normal for this time of year.
At Hope, the Fraser River is nearly a metre lower than it normally is for this time of year, and other creeks and rivers are no better. Although the Vedder River may look relatively typical, stream flows are just half of normal, according to the provincial drought information portal. Slesse Creek, a key tributary upstream, is registering less than half its normal stream flows for this time of year.
Near Hope, the Coquihalla River is at record low levels, with barely one-third the water it typically sees at this time of year. With no rain expected for the next week, the water crunch seems likely to get worse before it gets better.
Film premiere for documentary on homelessness activist killed by police
The Abbotsford Film Festival is hosting the premiere of a new documentary about an artist’s search for answers about the killing of Barry Shantz, a long-time Abbotsford homelessness advocate who was killed in 2020 by police.
The film, A Bullet Pulling Thread, follows Marilyn Farquhar, an artist who created a series of quilts inspired by her brother and his death. The film, directed by Ian Daffern, will premiere on August 25 at the Abbotsford Film Festival, which is hosted by The Reach Gallery Museum. Tickets for the two-day festival are available online.
A coroner’s inquest into Shantz’s death took place this summer. The jury recommended that police and health agencies improve access to mental health services so mental health staff can assist crisis negotiators.
🤝 Now hiring
• Church musician at United Churches of Langley
• Budtender at Seed & Stone in Hope
• Guest Services casual worker at Chilliwack Cultural Centre
• Lifeguard/instructor at City of Abbotsford
• Electronic Disclosure Co-ordinator at the Langley RCMP
Hiring in the Fraser Valley? Reply back and let us know!
📸 Current Cam
Each week we showcase a different photo from across the valley and invite readers to share their best guesses about where it was taken.
Any guesses as to where this week’s Current Cam was taken? Fill out this form with your best guess—or with a picture we can use in a future edition.
Things to do
🗓 Painting from thin air: Watch painters create masterpieces in the “Open Air” at the Kilby Historic SIte August 18 to 20. Artists will be set up throughout the site and paintings will be available for purchase through the artist. Details online.
🗓 Nature in Mission: Learn about the health of streams at the Fraser Valley Conservancy's Windebank Creek property August 17 in Mission. Details online.
🗓 Ringette registration: Registration for Chilliwack Ringette Association’s 2023-24 season is open to interested athletes from Abbotsford, Mission, Agassiz, Harrison, Hope and Chilliwack. Details online.
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Tyler: Last month, I had the chance to speak to Mike Flannigan, one of Canada’s foremost wildfire researchers and a specialist particularly in fire weather—the weather conditions that can turn small blazes into massive megafires.
It’s pretty easy to understand how hot, dry weather creates conditions well-suited to wildfire. But while noting that the bulk of wildfire growth happens only during a few “extreme” wildfire days, Flannigan pointed out something important: the worst wildfire days often occur not in the middle of a heat wave, but at the very end.
“The fire’s usually don’t start at the front end” of the heat wave, Flannigan said. “They usually kick in towards the back end.”
Specifically, when a ridge of high pressure breaks down, air that had been mostly stationary and, usually, hot and dry, starts to seek out lower-pressure areas. That can create high winds, which can fan flames and send fires racing across the landscape. It can also trigger new fires with lightning.
Flannigan and I were speaking about the conclusion of the 2021 heat event that saw Lytton burn down and a number of other large fires start and spread.
“That’s exactly what happened because that’s when the cool front came through with the wind and lightning in some cases.”
This is all notable because it’s been of how tomorrow is shaping up.
High winds are forecast as a “dry cold front” hits the region. Frankly, I’m not an expert on fronts and air pressure and all that sort of stuff. But the wind weather forecasts suggests gusty winds will push through southern BC on Thursday.
And the BC Wildfire Service’s top forecaster told me online that they are quite worried.
“This is what we call a ‘watch out day’ with anticipated extreme fire behaviour,” he wrote.
I had never heard the term ‘watch out day,’ but it sums up the situation better than any fancier language might. So keep an eye out on the situation tomorrow afternoon—particularly if you’re heading into the southern Interior this weekend.
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