Environment Canada has put out the country's 2011/2012 winter stats. Full report can be seen
here. Here are the highlights of their report:
*Nationwide records began in 1948.
Temperatures
- National average temperature was 3.6°C above normal (1961-1990 average); the third warmest winter on record. The warmest winter was 2009/2010 at 4.1°C above normal.
- Winter temperatures have been at or above normal since 1997. Winter temperatures have warmed 3.2°C in the past 65 years.
- Prairie temperatures were 6.3°C above normal; the second warmest winter on record. (Consult map to see where exactly Environment Canada considers to be the Prairie zone (yellow)).
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| Temperature departure from normal - Winter (Dec-Jan-Feb) 2011/2012 |
Precipitation
- National precipitation was 18% below normal; the second driest winter on record. The driest winter was 1956/1957 at 20% below normal.
- The only areas in Canada that had above normal precipitation this winter were northern Manitoba up through to eastern Nunavut, and a small area along the BC coast.
- Prairie precipitation 56% below normal; the driest winter on record. (Consult map to see where exactly Environment Canada considers to be the Prairie zone (yellow)).
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| Precipitation departure from normal - Winter (Dec-Jan/Feb) 2011/2012 |
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Spectacular day out there, starting to feel like summer :) Wait until you see tomorrow though. Highs in high twenties look likely in southeastern Manitoba, so get out the shorts and sandals! There will be a little bit more cloud than today in the afternoon, with a small chance of a shower or storm late afternoon and early evening. Cold front passes in the evening, with rain or embedded thunderstorms moving in later in the evening. A good 10 mm not out of the question with that.
ReplyDeleteCooler Friday in the mid teens, and clearing skies, although the cool down will be brief. A large ridge will keep us very warm on the weekend and for a part of next week. A few days close to 30°C will be possible Tuesday to Thursday.
Welcome back summer :D
Forgot to mention that it will be quite dry with the ridge, which will be bad news for fires. Any moisture we received in the past while wont be around for much longer.. We wont be seeing any measurable rain or storms until the ridge begins to break down, which is uncertain at this point, but early indications are for late week. Stay tuned
ReplyDeleteAwesome temperatures in store today, before the cold front significantly drops our temperatures like a rock this evening. Expect highs between 26 and 28 around Winnipeg today, which is about 10 degrees above normal. Nothing close to records in case you were wondering. Records are in the low thirties.
ReplyDeleteRain and possibly embedded storms move in later in the evening with plummeting temperatures.
Winds will be increasing to 40 km/h this afternoon however, from the south, so it will be a price to pay for the warmth.
ReplyDeleteHot spot as of 2 PM is Carman at a fantastic 28.6°C! These summer like temperatures feel awesome :)
ReplyDelete27.4°C at my station in south end of Winnipeg as of 2:40 PM.
Not looking likely we'll see much in the way of storms late this afternoon and early evening with the cold front. Moisture is just too low with surface dewpoints only from 5 to 10°C so far this afternoon, and are not expected to rise much higher. Generally, when it comes to predicting severe more widespread storm activity, we look for dewpoints in the mid teens or higher.
An isolated storm is not out of the question, although they will likely be isolated and non-sevee. The main risk with the storms in this setup is gusty winds due to evaporative cooling due to low moisture. The main chance of rain and storms for Winnipeg is late evening and overnight behind the cold front aided by forcing from the jetstream, with a line of rain and/or embedded storms. Storms look very unlikely past midnight though, thanks to reduced instability. Therefore, the best risk for a storm in Winnipeg would be mid/late evening, although I wouldn't expect anything in the city imo. Will update when new details are available.