Bill – My First Hurricane

Living in Toronto, one doesn’t come across hurricanes. You may get thunderstorms galore, and the occasional tornado (sometimes deadly, my heart goes out to Durham, Ontario) but the ocean is way too far away for hurricanes.

But here in my new home, I am living by the sea. And the sea brings different weather patterns than the cities in the centre of the universe – er- country.

The news is all abuzz with talk about Hurricane Bill. It’s coming en route from Bermuda. It’s a big deal for the oil rigs out off the coast, as the winds mean big waves.

“The southeast coast of Newfoundland should prepare for winds exceeding 120 km/h”

Check out the images of Hurricane Bill from NOAA and The Satellite Services Division of the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) which  provides real time access to satellite data and products for the public and government. I just copied that phrase directly from their site.

Time to batten down the hatches. And check if the roof repair job holds.

By the way, it’s amazing how many idiomatic expressions come from sailing. I was once at the naval museum in Penetang, Ontario, and they gave a wonderful demo of sea life in the Victorian times, including the origins of many expressions. Battening the hatch is a naval term. It means to prepare for trouble. ‘Battening down’ was done on ships when bad weather was expected. Just so you know.

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