Weather Appreciation

[Lady tehMa]

Last year was over 1.5 degrees above normal. In addition, the current Spring feels cold because it has been so wet and cloudy. March is typically the driest month of the year in much of BC (second driest month in the South Okanagan), but last month never gave us more than three consecutive dry days.

So, does this mean good things for the snowpack then? Where is it sitting at for averages?

[Queen K]

It seems like a forecast of partly cloudy with a chance of showers and highs of 9-11 degrees has been going on forever and continues on... the weather's stuck!

There there, the weather isn't stuck,it's waiting for me to go back to work in precisely 7 days from now. When I go back to work.

[Lady tehMa]

Well, we had a bit of good weather in there so that shoots your theory QK!

The wind is somewhat unusual though . . .

[Lady tehMa]

BRRRR are we still around averages Glacier????

I can't recall the last spring where there was snow so low on the mountains this late in April . . .

[Glacier]

We're definitely below average, but things are warming up... slowly. Although the last couple of months were not record months in terms of temperature, some very interesting weather phenomena did occur.

The years in which first occurrence of >=20 degrees happened the latest in Vernon.

1) 1955 - May 19th
2) 2011 - May 9th
3) 1975 - May 7th
1917 - May 7th
5) 1912 - May 6th

note: by comparison, Vernon was basking in 27 degree weather in April 2010.

Back to this year, two separate people I know in the Cariboo have been keeping records for the past 30 to 40 years of when the ice goes out in their respective lakes (elevation about 1000 m). The first person's previous record for the ice leaving the lake was April 30th, but this year it never went out until May 6th. The other person's ice left on May 2nd, shattering their old record by two weeks.

I suspect the late thaw is a result of not having any sustained warm spells. Even in Springs with colder averages, these warm spells were present. Also, the record amount of snow on the ground probably helped insulate the ice as the temperature warmed.

[strwbrrydvl]

Math 9?.. Never heard of the month "Math" before!

All teasing aside, that is rather interesting. For comparison, what were the years like leading up to early-May 20 degree temps? Are we experiencing the same weather trend this year as happenened in 1975, 1917, 1912?

[Glacier]

Math. May. Whatever. lol.

I've made an additional correction about the temperature reaching 20 degrees in Vernon. To make it clear, this year was only the second one in 110 years that the temperature had not reached 20 degrees in Vernon by May 7th.

As for comparison to other years, it would take too much time to analyze, but a quick check reveals that 1955 was one of the coldest and driest years on record. March and April were particularly cold.

[Glacier]

Yesterday was the wettest May 26th on record for several BC cities:

16.8 mm in Vernon - previous record 13.2 mm back in 1942
14.0 mm in Kamloops - previous record 8.8 mm back in 1980
19.1 mm in Kelowna - previous record 10.8 mm back in 1984

No records in the South Okanagan because on this date in 1998, they recorded over 50 mm of rainfall.

[Lady tehMa]

Yikes. That pretty much sums it up. I saw sun briefly this morning, hope I get to see it again soon.

[strwbrrydvl]

Any predictions as to when it'll hit 30*? That'll make me happy I wait all year for the heat.

[Queen K]

I'd appreciate it if things would warm up

[Glacier]

Any predictions as to when it'll hit 30*? That'll make me happy

If you live in Fairbanks, Alaska (where Bsuds told Captain Awesome to go for not liking the Okanagan heat) then you'll likely see 30 degrees tomorrow. The way things have gone so far, I won't even hazard a guess when the Okanagan will hit 30 degrees though.

June is the wettest month of the year in the Okanagan, so cool unsettled weather this time of year is quite common. However, going so long into the year without a good few days of hot weather is not so common. As a matter of fact, this is shaping up to be the coldest April-May on record.

It sure has been cloudy too, and I suspect this was a major contributer to the slow icemelt. Speaking of clouds and sun, here is a little comparison between the Okanagan and the rest of BC when it comes to sunshine. Cranbrook is the sunniest place, but it is estimated that Clinton and areas west into the Chilcotin receive a couple hundred more hours per year of sunshine than Cranbrook, but they've never measured sunshine in that area.

Don't forget to offer your sympathies to Steven Lloyd after viewing the data below. Interior places shown in red; coastal places in black.

City/Place ...........Hours of shineshine/year
Cranbrook --------------------- 2205.3
Victoria --------------------- 2193.3
Fort St John --------------------- 2164.8
Puntzi --------------------- 2112.1
Princeton --------------------- 2090.6
Victoria airport------------------- 2086.4
Summerland --------------------- 2085
Kamloops --------------------- 2074.6
Vernon --------------------- 2054.6
Williams Lake --------------------- 2030.6
McCulloch --------------------- 2021.5
Penticton --------------------- 1956.1
Kelowna --------------------- 1954.4
Oliver --------------------- 1948.9
Prince George --------------------- 1932.7
Vancouver --------------------- 1928
Peachland Brenda Mines ---------- 1927.4
Lytton --------------------- 1915.3
Nanaimo --------------------- 1903.4
Merry Island Lightstation --------- 1890.6
Saanichton --------------------- 1886.9
Abbotsford --------------------- 1865.9
Castlegar --------------------- 1854.8
Babine Lake --------------------- 1846.8
Burns Lake --------------------- 1823.2
Powel River --------------------- 1817.6
Topley Landing --------------------- 1800.4
MacKenzie --------------------- 1786.3
Agassiz --------------------- 1755.6
Estevan Point --------------------- 1729.6
Tofino --------------------- 1683.4
Germansen Landing ---------- 1664.4
Smithers --------------------- 1651
McBride --------------------- 1644.6
Dease Lake --------------------- 1623.6
Port Alberni --------------------- 1601.7
Revelstoke --------------------- 1599.4
Hope --------------------- 1510.2
Blue River --------------------- 1499.1
Sandspit --------------------- 1498.1
Bella Coola --------------------- 1486.1
Terrace --------------------- 1471.2
Port Hardy --------------------- 1465.1
Kittimat --------------------- 1414.9
Prince Rupert --------------------- 1229.1
Stewart --------------------- 981.4

Here is another way to look at it showing number of days per year that the sun shines at least once. Click to view.

[Glacier]

Any predictions as to when it'll hit 30*?

I predict that July 4th will be the first 30 degree day of the year, but the hottest day of the Summer will be July 9th (in Vernon).

eta: The usual suspects (Osoyoos, Lytton, Ashcroft, etc.) will likely hit 30°C on June 13th.

[skydawg]

June 25th first 30 degree day

[Lady tehMa]

Hmmmm - given the trend I'd back Glacier on this one . . . but I'd like to back skydawg out of pure optimism/desperate hope