Temperature Inversions at Mount Washington Ski Resort are a nice surprise

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

    The Comox Valley is in a foggy cool period right now which has lasted for a few days and is suppose to go on until the weekend. But it pays to check out the web cams at Mount Washington Ski Resort since while it is cold and foggy in town it is sunny and warm at Mount Washington.  For instance, on Monday morning Jan 24 the temperature in the Comox Valley was around 1 C at 8:00 am where as at Raven Lodge and the Nordic centre it was about 5 C at the same time. Normally temperatures cool with elevation and the typical difference is around 6-7 C cooler on the mountain compared to Comox or Courtenay. But these ridges of high pressure come in with falling air which produce temperature inversions which means that instead of cooling with elevation the temperature gets warmer!! But despite the warm temperatures the snow stayed very good for skiing and we certainly enjoyed having lunch in the bright sun on the deck of Raven Lodge where the temperature came close to 10 C. So if the fog and chilly temperatures  are getting you down in town  , head for the hills and you might find it is alot sunnier and warmer than in town.  And the views are spectacular with layers of fog below and snowy mountains rising above them (see photo below). To check out the web cams at Mount Washington have a look at: https://www.mountwashington.ca/