VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

Just arrived at the lake, and the season has started. We don’t have the perfect Lake Nitinaht thermals yet, but it is slowly getting there. Today was a good day, spend just over an hour on the Lake using my 10m NEO. This weekend will be wet, we are expecting some heavy rain. However, once the rain passes, expect some great days starting on Wednesday of next week.
I will provide an update after the rain has passed at the beginning of next week.
We don’t have the webcam set up yet. There is a log in front of the school that is giving us some headaches, hopefully we can resolve this soon. Webcam will be up as soon as the shop is setup, stay tuned.

Monday, June 3.It is wet at the lake. Raining all Sunday and heavy rain overnight from Sunday to Monday. A lot of standing water in many campgrounds. Apparently this was the first wave of the atmospheric river, the second wave is expected this afternoon/evening to Tuesday. On the positive side, we have a lot of wind blowing up the lake, guessing 20 gusting to 25 kts. Have not seen anyone on the water yet…
After this second wave of rain passes, we should see some clear skies, hopefully starting Tuesday evening and on Wednesday. With the help of some sunshine, the camps will dry up quickly. If the forecast holds, coming weekend looks promising for some good winds.

Glad it worked out. We were in Tofino for 4 nights. 4 night and days of torrential rain that is. Ah well, goretex is your friend. Howling winds played havoc with the surf. Still got some great sessions.

June 6: Wind conditions at the lake will depend entirely on the thermal engine. The temperature difference between Port Alberni and the coast is only 5C, however the air is unstable and if we get clear sky the ground will heat up and the thermals will start pumping.
We had a good day on the lake late afternoon yesterday, not very strong, but sufficient wind to have fun. Expecting the same for today.

These daily updates are great! I bet tomorrow will rip.

Hello TunaCan, yes, tomorrow Friday is looking good. We had good day on Thursday, 15kts peaking around 5pm. For Friday we are expecting stronger conditions, the temperature difference between Tofino and Port Alberni are expected to be 6C. We are expecting moderate to strong conditions to start sometimes after lunch.
See you on the lake.

Quick follow up, the webcam at Lake Nitinaht is now operational. Check it out, or even better, come and visit us at the lake…

The wind forecast for Saturday June 8, is the best I have seen so far this year. The temperature difference between Tofino and Port Alberni is 10C. In the past when the forecast called for a temperature gradient of 10C we had winds in excess of 20kts.
Let’s see if this is still true for this year. See you on the lake…

Well that did not work out… Actual gradient was only 7C, and the overcast did mess things up. Wind on Saturday was inconsistent, moderate in the beginning, building to strong and shutting off without a warning around 5pm.
Sunday looks OK, a temperature gradient of 6C, some moderate winds off the coast may provide the driver for moderate to moderate plus winds. Let’s see what the day brings.

If you are not at the lake already, get out here… until Friday we will have great conditions… Rain on the weekend. Get your week pass and promise you will work twice as hard on the weekend.
Today’s temp gradient is 9C, wind just switched from out-flow to inflow, we will have a great day on the lake.

Good day at the lake, however not as strong as predicted. The reason for that is most likely because the temperature gradient was not as big as forecasted.
Tomorrow Thursday looks like a good day again. Two more days of good kiting before the rain hits on the weekend, don’t miss it.

Epic day on Friday. Strong winds starting early, at about 11am lasting until late into the evening. Winds were blowing at 18kts., at times hitting 23kts. Some had an opportunity to go in the late afternoon or evening, conditions were that strong.
Tomorrow Saturday, not sure what the weather brings. Overcast, some rain in the afternoon, however, there is a 9C temperature difference between the coast and inland. Maybe we will get another strong day on Saturday.

It has been wet in the lake, at the lake close to the lake, away from the lake, wet no matter where you go. Well, this should end soon. Forecast calls for a mostly sunny day on Friday, then a chance of liquid sunshine on Saturday before we expect to see a few sunny days. With other words, it is save to come to Lake Nitinaht and play with the wind, starting tomorrow.

Friday was a good day on the lake. Good wind, 17kts gusting to 19, the wind machine turned on shortly after lunch and kept going until past 7pm.
However… 9pm at the campground and we have rain. Saturday still looks OK, based on the numbers, a 6C temperature gradient between the coast and inland, but we will also see showers.Those showers may have a negative impact on our wind. We think we will have moderate winds, not as strong as on Friday, starting early afternoon.
So come to the lake, Saturday may not be the best day, but you don’t want to miss Sunday and Monday. Come and visit us at the Elevation Kite and Wing Center, then go play with the wind.

The clearing that was initially forecasted for late Saturday did not happen. Lots of rain, drizzle, and yes some wind. Enough for some to go for a few tacks. Overall, this has to be marked as a no wind day.
However, this is about to change. Sunday is a drying out day, expecting moderate winds after lunch.
Next week looks good, sunny days reasonable temperature differences between the coast and inland plus strong west winds, 25 to 35 kts at the Juan de Fuca Strait west entrence. This should make for a great week.
Come and visit the Elevation Kite and Wing Center and then go out on the lake and play with the wind.