WELLINGTON, PEI – Oct. 5, 2012 – Islanders have always been extremely interested in weather since their primary industries of farming, fishing and tourism rely so heavily on the amounts of rain and sunshine that are received in the summer. And in the wintertime, the amounts of wind and snow also determine if children will get a day off school and if their parents will get to work or not.

These factors helped prompt Le Bel Âge Residential Co-op in Wellington to organize a special free event specifically on the topic of weather on Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 1 p.m. in the co-op’s family room, on the occasion of 2012 Co-op Week.

Special guest Gerald Reichheld, the retired meteorologist from the former CFB Summerside, will host the discussion about weather patterns. He’ll begin by giving a few introductory remarks and then will open a question-and-answer period.

“Everyone is welcomed to attend this event, which will take place in English. We’re hoping to attract a large number of people and that they’ll have a fun, lively discussion about everything related to weather,” says activities coordinator Carmella Richard. “We’re extremely lucky to have access to an expert who is so knowledgeable about this topic, living right here in our own community.”

Snacks will be served following the discussion.

ABOUT REICHHELD

Many Islanders will remember that Reichheld used to provide daily weather reports on CJRW radio when he was employed at the former air forces base. When CFB Summerside closed in 1991, he officially retired from his meteorology career of 21 years. He was however allowed to keep a number of the smaller weather predicting and measuring tools. He also inherited all of the weather station’s old meteorological records that date back to the establishment of the station around the time of World War II.

Reichheld, who lives in Goodwin’s Corner near Wellington, realized soon after retirement that he could not get meteorology completely out of his system. He has therefore continued, over the past two decades, to keep daily records of precipitation, temperature highs and lows and other atmospheric conditions.

The special guest, who emerged from the University of Waterloo with a physics degree, also completed a one-year specialty course in meteorology from the federal Department of Transportation back in 1965. He got to practice his weather-predicting and weather-measuring craft from 1970 to 1991, most of that time at CFB Summerside. Since that time, he and his wife continue to operate a small organic produce farm; they sell their products at home and at farmers’ markets.

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CUTLINE: Former meteorologist Gerald Reichheld checks out some of the weather-measuring equipment he inherited from the former CFB Summerside. He will be hosting a discussion about weather patterns Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 1 p.m. at Le Bel Âge Residential Co-op in Wellington.

For more information:

Carmella Richard
Activities coordinator
La Coopérative d’hébergement Le Bel Âge
(902) 315-2821