Mountain Girl

So exactly how durable are Canadian houses to high winds and are they tried and tested to a certain degree?

Early this morning here in NW Calgary my house literally shook as it was battered by high winds. :scared:

I was being a big wimp, so I got up and switched on the weather channel and saw that actually at Calgary airport they where reporting winds of 48km/h, which is only 29.83 miles/h. So I got a grip and went back to bed.

I think it is going to take me years to get used to these wooden houses .

Bearing in mind when I was younger I used to curl up into a ball, stick my fingers in my ears and pull the covers over my head, whenever there was thunder and lightening, and that was in a brick 1 bed flat.

dbd33

It was a bit windy here yesterday. The house next door lost some shingles and siding but it's new (the people haven't moved in yet) and delicate. Any older house should be able to withstand wind, if it's stood for forty years already it's not likely to collapse tomorrow.

wizzard

My house is made of brick and is Canadian.

Atlantic Xpat

Oh good grief, 48km/h? We don't get out of bed for that in these parts We live on a hill in a fairly windy part of Canada. 100-120km/h winds are not unusual. The house creaks and groans, the downspouts rattle and the flaps on the drier/extractor/air exchanger vents nag too and fro. I have lain awake during the night listening to the cacophony and wondering if there is going to be any siding left on the house the next day. So far it's all managed to hold together. Wooden houses are just something to get used to!

Mountain Girl

Lucky you .

I was lying there at around 5am listening to the decking creeking and wondering if it can rip up. But I figured it would have to be a heck of a lot windier than 29miles per hour for that to happen.

I think it sounded a lot worse than it actually was.

Steve_P

At the Calgary Airport at 5am it was 30 gusting to 36mph perhaps it was earlier that you actually heard the wind because at 4am it was 32 gusting to 40mph and later at 6 am it was 36 gusting to 46mph.

You are closer to the Springbank Airport (out in the Scenic Acres and Tuscany areas) and they were reporting winds of 34mph at 5am.

Cheers
Steve

Posidrive

I sure do hope that the sound effects are worse than reallity. Not helped by the neighbours across the back yard not having properly shut the gates on the back of their fence. BANG BANG BANG at 5 oclock in the morning does not go down well.

We're praying that the wind was severe less in Cochrane (which is very unlikely) since we have a partially framed house. It's taken over a year to get to the stage where 3/4 of the ground floor has been done. Just hoping that it has not been flattened.

AnyaT

My 2-storey apartment building survived winds between 160 and 180 km/hour during Halifax's Hurricane Juan just fine. The building shook but stayed completely intact and, more importantly, so did the windows - which is more than I can say for the student highrise residence a couple blocks away. As you note, the sound is usually worse than the actual outcome.

As a side note, can I say I was surprised to find Albertans kind of wimpy regarding the winter weather? I thought they would be pretty hardy folk given the extremes out here. I mean, a blizzard warning today for 10-15 cm of snow? I expect at least 25 cm plus before roads start being closed and school buses pulled out of service.

Mountain Girl

It was just little me being a wimp for about 5mins over a little bit of wind ....... that doesnt mean the rest of Albertans are I can assure you........

AnyaT

Hah, no, I wasn't aiming that at you! It was more my observations over the past couple months since winter weather arrived.

Atlantic Xpat

I'd tend to agree. A 25cm snowfall is almost routine in these parts and commands no more than a passing mention on the weather networks stormwatch. This morning I see Vancouver has a winter storm warning - for 5cm of snow! So it's not just Alberta but basically anywhere other than Atlantic Canada who are wimps!

Steve_P

Shall we rephrase that to some recent UK immigrants rather than all residents other than Atlantic Canada.

Mountain Girl

Oi!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we are well hard here in the west.


Well appart from me this morning

Alberta_Rose

I rather thought the "winter storm warning" was more to do with the wind strengths than the amt of snow?

I've just been out to get lil lad his hockey goalie pads and it was -19 but I'm certain the wind chill is around -35 just now.


I wouldn't want to be out in it though .... two guys died today trying to walk for help after their car broke down.

tobyjug

We have had a blizzard blowing strong for 5-6 hours now, at times i could'nt see over the road, and the noise is like a truck passing the window, scary !