Radon

Have you tested for radon in your home?

You can’t smell it, taste it or see it! So why is radon an important gas to monitor?

Radon is formed from the breakdown of uranium in our ground. Here in the BC Interior, radon levels are considered high. Because radon can get trapped in our households, it can become a health risk.

Long term exposure to radon is the main cause of lung cancer for non-smokers. The risk of developing lung cancer depends on how much radon is in the air you breathe indoors, as well as how long the exposure is. 16% of lung cancer deaths in Canada are due to indoor radon exposure.

To measure the radon in our home, we are using the @airthings Wave Plus device.

The Wave Plus is a smart air quality monitor that includes radon detection, as well as sensors for temperature, humidity, TVOCs, air pressure, and CO2.

I just set it up today and it was easy to connect it to my phone. Soon I will be able to visualize the radon data and observe trends in my home environment.

The calibration period for the device is 7 days, and the air has to be measured for at least 30 days. The sensor collects hourly air samples and is designed for long term measuring. This means the longer the measurement, the more data points, and the more accurate the long term average becomes.

Blocking Pattern

Raise your hand if you are ready for a week of sun!?!!!? 🙋🏻‍♀️

Say hello to the OMEGA BLOCK!!! Sun worshippers are going to love the weather this week in the Okanagan ☀️

Every so often meteorologists get a break from constantly worrying about the weather, and this week is one of those times for me 😄. Whenever a blocking weather pattern develops over our region, I get to relax a bit for a few days. So… you will likely find me sipping on a glass of wine 🍷 while enjoying the sun 🌞 in my garden 🪴 sometime over the next few days - maybe even on more than one occasion as this blocking pattern looks like it will last the whole week 😎

Here’s why: An OMEGA BLOCK is about to stall over BC. This is a large-scale pattern that will redirect any significant weather from entering our region. The upper ridge will remain in place for at least several days, keeping the sun shining over southern and even parts of northern BC until next weekend, and possibly longer!

It is called the Omega Block because the upper level weather charts will resemble the omega character this week as seen in the photo.

Stay healthy and enjoy the sun everyone!

Statements vs. Watches vs. Warnings

There are numerous public weather alerts in effect for British Columbia right now-

⛅️Special Weather STATEMENTS
🌦Weather WATCHES
❄️Weather WARNINGS

What are the differences?

Environment Canada monitors weather across the country 24/7. When there is significant weather, weather watches, warnings and advisories are issued by the agency for public safety.

There are different criteria for watches, warnings and advisories. Where you live in Canada may also affect the criteria.

An example of how specific warnings can vary by region:

Metro Vancouver will receive a warning if 10 cm or more of snow is expected within 12 hours or when five cm or more of snow is expected within six hours. However, in some other parts of BC, your region will only be issued a warning if you receive 15 cm or more snow within a certain time frame.

In general…

Advisories: Actual or expected weather conditions may cause general inconvenience or concern but are not expected to pose a serious enough threat to warrant a warning.

Watch: Conditions are favourable for the development of severe weather. Caution should be taken. Watch the skies and listen for updates.

Warning: A severe weather condition is occurring or hazardous weather is highly probable.