Expecting storm force outflow winds gusting to 60 knots tonight in the Channel. Just to give you a sense of how strong that is, 64 knots is hurricane force, so yeah, it's windy. A mile away out in the Sound, you can hear the roar of the wind on the water and the white caps breaking in the Challen. There is snow falling at the moment and it's cold out there, currently -3 and dropping and the wind chill makes it seem like -13.

Along with the storm warning, there is a freezing spray warning for How Sound as well. This is a classic Squamish blowing right now. Just around the corner, at Point Atkinson, the wind is light, blow at 1 knot. We're expecting 5-10 cm of snow and then some clear and cold days ahead making for a lovely week leading up to Christmas.

Last night, out on the deck the wind was calm until 2am when a wall of it slammed over Collins Ridge, lifted my son and I out of our sleeping bags and carried on down the hill to play havoc with materials at a building site a few doors down. In 1990 a similar Squamish got locked in to Howe Sound for two weeks, knocking the power out for more than 10 days in most parts of the Island. Hopefully we won't have that, and the power has stayed on so far, but this is the strongest winter storm we've had in a couple of years, and the irony is that it's so local, folks in Vancouver, less than 10 miles away, are frolicking on a crisp fall evening, catching snowflakes on their tongue.

And just in case you think this has me spooked, I'm heading outside to spend another night on the sleeping proch, wrapped in down and taking it all in. Welcome to winter life in Howe Sound!