Big Bad Bill...

Hurricane Bill is still some ways southwest of Newfoundland and is expected to drop from a Cat 1 hurricane to a tropical storm as it passes Nova Scotia. Environment Canada has issued tropical storm, wind and rain warnings for most of the island.

At 151500 NDT this afternoon the barometer in my front hall is still rock solid at 101.4 kps and really hasn't budged since yesterday. It is overcast and incredibly muggy. Temperature is 27 C in the garden but humidity of almost 80% is pushing the feel of that well into the 30s.

The rain hasn't started yet and there is virtually no wind but opening the back door still feels like going for a swim. It is the classical calm before the storm. The next 12 hours will tell the tale.

Update: At 6PM there is not a breath of wind outside. The barometer is now off a point or two. It is 27 C (81 F) inside and outside the house. With the humidity that feels more like 33 or 34 C (about 92 F). Needless to say we have no A/C.

Sweltering.

Update 2: At 10:30 PM the wind is up considerably out of the south and the temperature has dropped suddenly in the last hour to 19 C. The temperature in the house has also mercifully dropped to a cosy roaring-fire-in-the-woodstove temperature of 25 C. St. John's harbour is sheltering dozens of ships tonight under the pea soup fog that has rolled over the city.

11:15PM - Much lightening. And loud, but faraway thunder. The heavy rain has started.