Weather Appreciation

[Lady tehMa]

It is snowing right now in Kelowna, Glacier. Come and get it! We'll take any early spring off your hands, really. 'cause we're nice like that.

I have bulbs that are pretty sure it is spring, the way they are poking green shoots above ground, I hope they're right.

If you have time (and haven't posted it already) what has February/March been like for the Kelowna area in terms of mean temperature for oh, say the last decade. And if you have posted something like that already, point me at it? Thanks.

[Glacier]

It's snowing here too.

P.S. I forgot to add in my last post that 2012 was the coldest year on record at the University of Victoria (17 years of data) and Saturna Island (19 years of data). No place with more than 2 years of data recorded 2012 as the warmest year.

On a whole, the province was bang on the average. The Okanagan was about 0.3 degrees above normal as was much of the interior. Some places such as the to Kootenays and around Kamloops were 0.7 degrees above normal. The coast was about 0.3 degrees below normal (+/-). The coastal inland sections were bang on the normals (Terrace, Bella Coola, inland sections of the South Coast, etc.).

0.3 to 0.7 degrees above normal is still quite significant.

• For Peachland, 2012 was the 5th warmest year (32 years in total);
• for Summerland, 10th of 51 years;
• Vernon, 7th of 19;
• Merritt, 7th of 38;
• Midway, 8th of 20;
• Princeton, 13th of 47;
• Kamloops, 8th of 50 years.
  
  All other weather stations in the Okanagan went on the fritz last year.

[Donald G]

Interesting ... I wonder if, looking back 50 years from now, will cause or enable us to view all of the given weather data in a different light ... because of world weather pattern changes as they affect local areas ... brought about by global warming?

[Glacier]

• Spences Bridge was the first place in BC to start recording the temperature.
• Vernon was the first place to record temperature in the Okanagan, starting in 1898.
• Kelowna records began in 1904.
• 10 places in BC including two in the Okanagan have more than 90 years worth of temperature records:
  
  1. Agasssiz - 112 years and counting
  2. Victoria Gonzales Heights - 108 years and counting
  3. Fort St James - 104 years and counting
  4. Creston - 99 years and counting
  5. Barkerville - 98 years and counting
  6. Summerland - 96 years and counting
  7. Shawnigan Lake - 95 years and counting
  8. Vernon Coldstream Ranch - 93 years
  9. Saanichton - 93 years and counting
  10. Quatsino - 92 years

[Glacier]

February is typically the driest month of the year, but this year was dry even for February. The driest places in BC average about 10 mm for the month and the Okanagan averages about 25 mm, but many places were much drier than that with at least one place producing a new record.

Here were the 12 driest places in BC last month:

Kamloops = 1.0 mm, or 7% of normal (OLD record = 1.8 mm)
Tatlayoko Lake = 3.0 mm, or 10% of normal (no record here since the record set in 1997 was 0 mm)
Princeton = 3.5 mm (14% of normal)
Osoyoos = 3.9 mm (15% of normal)
Creston = 4.2 mm (9% of normal)
Burns Lake = 5.8 mm (21% of normal)
Chetwynd = 5.8 mm (36% of normal)
Lytton = 4.3 mm (10% of normal)
Winfield = 7.0 mm (28% of normal)
Clinton = 7.0 mm (42% of normal)
Puntzi Mountain = 7.7 mm (62% of normal)
Kelowna = 8.0 mm (35% of normal)

February was also a very mild month across the province. 7 degrees above normal up north and about 2.5 degrees above normal around here.

Winter was both warmer and drier than normal. In the Okanagan we only received about 70% of the normal precipitation thanks to an extremely dry February (see above). The temperature was about 1.5 degrees above normal thanks to a very warm February and December.

[Glacier]

Today was the wettest day since the 3rd of July. 10.7 to 14.2 mm of precipitation around here so far.

eta: Using Peachland as a reference, 2012 was the 4th wettest on record in our area (30 years worth of data). Peachland was 1 of only 12 weather stations across the province that measured precipitation for the entire year last year.

The only other weather stations in operation in the Interior were the Kamloops airport, Merritt, and Red Lake, also near Kamloops. With the exception of Masset, the entire province was wetter than normal.

[Glacier]

Sunshine in Canada interesting facts:

• At one time there used to be 250 places recording sunshine; today, there are only 7 (3 in BC, 2 in NFLD, and 2 in Ontario).
• Yuma Arizona is the sunniest place on earth recording more than 4,000 hours per year.
• The sunniest place in Canada is Medicine Hat where they record about 2,500 hours per year.
• The sunniest places in BC are around Cranbrook and Victoria where they record about 2,200 hours per year.
  
• The sunniest month on the entire planet is May in Eureka, Nunavut, where they average over 500 hours of sunshine for the month.
• The sunniest month ever was at in May of 1987 when Eureka recorded 667 hours of sunshine.
• All of the top sunniest months in Canada have occurred in the north. The top 4 were in May in Eureka. 5th spot also goes to Eureka, but it was in June of 1997.
• The sunniest month ever in Canada outside of the arctic was in Victoria (July of 1958).
• Sacramento, California, is the sunniest place in the world on average during the month of July.

Clearly, the Julys of 1985 and 1958 were the sunniest months ever in this province...

TOP 50 NON-ARCTIC SUNNIEST MONTHS EVER RECORDED IN CANADA (RED = BC; UNDERLINE = OKANAGAN)

Bright Sunshine Hours--Station, Province (Year, Month)

1. 425--VICTORIA GONZALES HTS, BC (1958, 7)
2. 422--VICTORIA INTL A, BC (1985, 7)
3. 414--MANYBERRIES CDA, ALTA (1985, 7)
4. 413--CRANBROOK A, BC (1985, 7)
5. 413--MEDICINE HAT A, ALTA (1991, 7)
   
   
6. 411--VICTORIA GONZALES HTS, BC (1960, 7)
7. 410--RIVERS A, MAN (1960, 7)
8. 410--SATURNA ISLAND CS, BC (1985, 7)
9. 406--SAANICHTON CDA, BC (1958, 7)
10. 403--SWIFT CURRENT CDA, SASK (1967, 7)
    
    
11. 401--MANYBERRIES CDA, ALTA (1988, 7)
12. 401--INUKJUAK UA, QUE (1996, 7)
13. 400--NANAIMO A, BC (1958, 7)
14. 400--MOOSE JAW A, SASK (1967, 7)
15. 400--VICTORIA GONZALES HTS, BC (1984, 7)
    
    
16. 398--COWICHAN BAY CHERRY POINT, BC (1958, 7)
17. 398--PRINCETON A, BC (1985, 7)
18. 397--THE PAS A, MAN (1964, 6)
19. 397--ESTEVAN A, SASK (1967, 7)
20. 397--DAUPHIN A, MAN (1974, 6)
    
    
21. 397--NANAIMO A, BC (1985, 7)
22. 397--ANAHIM LAKE 5 MILE RANCH, BC (1985, 7)
23. 397--VERNON, BC (1985, 7)
24. 397--CASTLEGAR A, BC (1985, 7)
25. 396--SUFFIELD A, ALTA (1953, 7)
    
    
26. 396--ESTEVAN A, SASK (1964, 7)
27. 396--DELTA MARSH CS, MAN (1974, 6)
28. 396--MOOSE JAW A, SASK (1985, 7)
29. 395--MEDICINE HAT A, ALTA (1953, 7)
30. 395--VAUXHALL CDA, ALTA (1960, 7)
    
    
31. 395--BROOKS AHRC, ALTA (1969, 8)
32. 395--LETHBRIDGE CDA, ALTA (1973, 7)
33. 395--BAD LAKE IHD 102, SASK (1984, 7)
34. 395--WILLIAMS LAKE A, BC (1985, 7)
35. 395--MEDICINE HAT A, ALTA (1985, 7)
    
    
36. 395--SWIFT CURRENT A, SASK (1994, 7)
37. 394--VAUXHALL CDA, ALTA (1959, 7)
38. 394--SASKATOON U OF S, SASK (1959, 7)
39. 394--LETHBRIDGE CDA, ALTA (1967, 7)
40. 394--WEYBURN, SASK (1967, 7)
    
    
41. 394--ABBOTSFORD A, BC (1985, 7)
42. 394--TRAIL TADANAC, BC (1985, 7)
43. 394--KAMLOOPS A, BC (1985, 7)
44. 393--REGINA A, SASK (1967, 7)
45. 392--SASKATOON U OF S, SASK (1960, 7)
    
    
46. 392--LETHBRIDGE CDA, ALTA (1969, 8)
47. 392--SAANICHTON CDA, BC (1985, 7)
48. 392--WEYBURN, SASK (1985, 7)
49. 391--SUFFIELD A, ALTA (1963, 7)
50. 391--SUFFIELD A, ALTA (1967, 7)

Notice that 19 of the top 50 are in BC, 14 are in Alberta, 12 in Saskatchewan, 4 in Manitoba, and 1 in Quebec, BUT the number of years represented is ONLY 4 by BC (1958, 1960, 1984, and 1985). By comparison, Alberta has 10 years represented, Saskatchewan 6, and Manitoba 3.

[Glacier]

It's interesting to see how much annual precipitation varies around the Okanagan. Average annual precipitation varies from just over 300 mm (12 in) per year in the south Okanagan to close to a little over double that in Salmon Arm.

Clearly, 1990 was the wettest year on record in the Similkameen Valley, while 1996 and 1983 were the most common wettest years in the Okanagan. 2006 was the wettest year in Penticton.

The driest years were in 1952 and around 1930.

[GenesisGT]

At one time there used to be 250 places recording sunshine; today, there are only 7 (3 in BC, 2 in NFLD, and 2 in Ontario).

Glacier this is interesting as it makes statistical analysis of sunshine records useless. Having done sunshine recording programs at various locations, I was not aware of the almost elimination of the program.

With the decrease in the number of weather reporting sites in general, and the decrease of special reporting programs a lot of historical data will become irrelevant in a few years.

[Glacier]

The type of weather we get each year can be divided up 4 different ways:

• hot and wet
• hot and dry
• cold and wet
• cold and dry

For example, 2012 was 6th wettest on record and the 43rd warmest. (124 years worth of records). This makes 2012 a hot and wet year. 2011 was cold and wet, 2010 hot and wet, 2009 hot and dry, and so on.

Since 1950 there has only been 6 hot and dry years (half of them occuring from 2000 onward). This compares to 30 hot and wet years since 1950. Prior to 1950, there were 23 hot and dry years, but only 4 hot and wet years.

Code: Select all

        all   pre-1950   1950+
hot-dry    23   17         6
cold-dry   37   27         10
cold-wet   30   13         17
hot-wet    34   4          30

The vast majority of years are similar to last year with at least one of the two variables being moderate, but every once in a while we get a year that is both extremely hot/cold and extremely wet/dry. It seems like these types of years come in close proximity.

Two years stand out as being both extremely wet and extremely hot: 1995 and 1997. 1997 was the 2nd wettest and 14th hottest year (top 11% for hottest and the top 1% for precipitation).

Two years stand out above all else for being both hot and dry to the extreme: 1925 and 1926. 1926 was both the 8th hottest year as well as the 8th driest year on record.

Two years stand out for being both extremely wet and extremely cold: 1972 and 1975. 1975 was the 14th wettest and 12th coldest year on record.

Two years stand out as being both cold and dry to the extreme: 1907 and 1922. Actually, a lot of years stand out as such, but these are the two that stand out the most. 1922 was the 3rd driest and 7th coldest year on record.

It seems to me that the first part of the 20th century was largely cold and dry, and then for the next quarter century things were largely hot and dry, followed by a spell of cold and wet weather, and finally by hot and wet weather. This fourth phase seems to have reached a climax just before the year 2000.

Since then there has been a reduction in both temperature and precipitation, but overall, we are still in a warm-wet pattern.

There has only been 1 cold-dry year in my lifetime, and that was in 1985.

[Glacier]

The temperature in both Hope and Lytton was 25 degrees yesterday (77 on the old scale). This is one of the hottest temperatures ever recorded in BC for the month of March.

2004 and 1994 were the most recent years in which the temperature was this warm. In 2004 both Chillwack and Stui (located in the Bella Coola valley) were 26.5 degrees while Hope was 25 degrees. In 1994, 18 difference places in BC reached 25 degrees with Keremeos at the top at a balmy 26 degrees. Osoyoos was 25.5 degrees, and Hope was again 25 degrees.

It seems like we get this type of weather about every 10 years... 1994, 2004, 2013.

By contrast with this province, yesterday was the coldest Easter on record in the UK when the temperature dropped to -12.5C.

[Glacier]

Here is a list of all BC airports with showing the average annual precipitation. Notice that the top 6 driest airports start with the letter K or the letter P.

1. KAMLOOPS A------------263.2 mm
2. PUNTZI MOUNTAIN A------292.3 mm
3. PENTICTON A-----------314.6 mm
4. PRINCETON A-----------349.3 mm
5. KELOWNA A------------365.6 mm
6. KIMBERLEY A-----------378.9 mm
7. GRAND FORKS A---------382.0 mm
8. DOG CREEK A-----------389.2 mm
9. CRANBROOK A-----------407.9 mm
10. DEASE LAKE A-----------419.9 mm
11. WILLIAMS LAKE A--------439.0 mm
12. FORT NELSON A---------442.6 mm
13. CHETWYND A------------442.8 mm
14. BEATTON RIVER A--------453.0 mm
15. FORT ST JOHN A--------456.8 mm
16. GOLDEN A-------------464.1 mm
17. DAWSON CREEK A--------469.1 mm
18. SMITH RIVER A---------469.4 mm
19. FORT ST JAMES A--------470.4 mm
20. SMITHERS A------------513.7 mm
21. QUESNEL A------------544.2 mm
22. PRINCE GEORGE A--------609.4 mm
23. MACKENZIE A-----------636.8 mm
24. SALMON ARM A----------657.7 mm
25. CASTLEGAR A-----------729.8 mm
26. VICTORIA INT'L A-------869.0 mm
27. TEXADA ISLAND A--------949.0 mm
28. REVELSTOKE A----------953.8 mm
29. PEMBERTON A----------990.6 mm
30. BLUE RIVER A----------993.6 mm
31. NANAIMO A------------1127 mm
32. VANCOUVER INT'L A------1129 mm
33. COMOX A--------------1177 mm
34. BELLA COOLA A---------1196 mm
35. POWELL RIVER A--------1232 mm
36. TERRACE A------------1327 mm
37. SANDSPIT A------------1332 mm
38. CAMPBELL RIVER A-------1451 mm
39. ABBOTSFORD A----------1527 mm
40. MASSET A-------------1531 mm
41. HOPE A---------------1786 mm
42. PORT HARDY A----------1814 mm
43. STEWART A------------1860 mm
44. PORT ALBERNI A--------1887 mm
45. PRINCE RUPERT A--------2622 mm
46. TOFINO A-------------3249 mm

And for temperature (Notice that no place in BC is both hotter and drier than Penticton)...

1. VANCOUVER INT'L A------10.0°C
2. HOPE A---------------9.9°C
3. ABBOTSFORD A----------9.8°C
4. TEXADA ISLAND A--------9.8°C
5. VICTORIA INT'L A-------9.7°C
6. NANAIMO A------------9.6°C
7. COMOX A--------------9.5°C
8. PORT ALBERNI A--------9.4°C
9. POWELL RIVER A--------9.3°C
10. TOFINO A-------------9.2°C
11. PENTICTON A-----------9.0°C
12. KAMLOOPS A------------8.8°C
13. GRAND FORKS A---------8.8°C
14. CASTLEGAR A-----------8.5°C
15. BELLA COOLA A---------8.4°C
16. PEMBERTON A---------8.4°C
17. PORT HARDY A----------8.1°C
18. SANDSPIT A------------8.1°C
19. BELLA BELLA A---------7.8°C
20. KELOWNA A------------7.7°C
21. MASSET A-------------7.7°C
22. REVELSTOKE A----------7.5°C
23. SALMON ARM A----------7.3°C
24. PRINCE RUPERT A--------7.0°C
25. TERRACE A------------6.2°C
26. PRINCETON A-----------6.0°C
27. STEWART A------------6.0°C
28. CRANBROOK A-----------5.6°C
29. QUESNEL A------------4.8°C
30. KIMBERLEY A-----------4.8°C
31. GOLDEN A-------------4.6°C
32. BLUE RIVER A----------4.5°C
33. WILLIAMS LAKE A--------4.2°C
34. SMITHERS A------------3.7°C
35. PRINCE GEORGE A--------3.7°C
36. DOG CREEK A-----------3.6°C
37. FORT ST JAMES A--------3.0°C
38. CHETWYND A------------3.0°C
39. MACKENZIE A-----------2.5°C
40. PUNTZI MOUNTAIN A ---1.7°C
41. FORT ST JOHN A--------1.7°C
42. DAWSON CREEK A--------1.6°C
43. FORT NELSON A--------- (-0.8°C)
44. DEASE LAKE A--------- (-1.0°C)
45. BEATTON RIVER A--------(-1.3°C)
46. SMITH RIVER A---------(-2.9°C)

[Donald G]

I see that the projected world warming temperatures identified for the last 15 years have been found to have proven to be accurate in real time. The ability to predetermine what the world temperature would be that far in advance is a huge scientific accomplishment.

I see by another CASTANET news article that scientists may also be on the trail of the elusive Dark Matter, the here-to-for invisible entity that composes about 1/3 of the weight of the universe. That the data is being beamed to CERN for analysis from a space station is a wonder in itself.

[Glacier]

The coldest temperature recorded in BC over this past winter (including November and March) was a -37 reading at Charlie Lake (near Fort St John). This marks the first time that the temperature had not dropped below -37 in BC since the winter of 1925/26 when the coldest reading in BC (Hudson Hope) never dropped below -30.

BTW, the season of 1925/26 was so mild that Victoria made it through the entire winter without dropping below +1, marking the first and only time this has ever happened anywhere in Canada.

March 2013 summary:

• Osoyoos was the driest place in BC recording only 10.5 mm of precipitation.
• Port Renfrew on the Island was the wettest with more than 550 mm of precipitation.
  
• Hope recorded the warmest temperature in BC and Canada at 25 degrees.
• Dease Lake was the coldest in the province at -30 degrees.
• The Okanagan extremes varied from 23 degrees in Osoyoos to -15 at Silverstar. Kelowna varied from 20 to -8.
  
• Agassiz had the highest average temperature in Canada at 8.3 degrees.
• Dease Lake was the coldest in BC at -9.6.
• The Okanagan varied from 6.6 in Osoyoos to -3.2 at the Silverstar village. Kelowna varied from 5.4 degrees on the hillside to 4.8 degrees down at the airport level. Vernon varied from 5.1 to 4.9 degrees.

The map below shows how the temperature deviated across Canada from the March "normal."

[Glacier]

Also, just a reminder that burning season is upon us. Even though today had zero hours of sunshine, the UV rating was 2.8, which matches the highest rating we had for all of February. Yesterday's rating was 4.7 in the sunshine.