Tag: Snowfall

Step 1: Use Data from Environment Canada’s monthly summaries.

Step 2: Summarize the data by 1×1 grid square so no region dominates.

Step 3: Graph Tmax, Tmin and Tmean.

The black line is the monthly data. The blue boxes contain the 5 year mean (and I set the 5 year period by just going back from the most recent data in 5 year increments)

The green line is the number of 1×1 grid squares. The blue dashed line is the trend from 1873 (which is the earliest data).

(I won’t count the pre-1900 data as too important since there were so few stations)

Tmax was 1.5C  warmer in the the 1920s/30s/40s than now.

Tmin now is the hottest its been since 1900.

Tmean in the early 40s was slightly warmer than now.

Tmean/Tmin has been warming since 1970 thanks to Tmin … not Tmax.

Click for larger:

Tmax

Tmin

Tmean

 

Using Environment Canada’s monthly summaries.

And selecting stations with ‘Normals’ (anomalies from 1981 – 2010) and 90% of the datapoints.

If you take Environment Canada’s monthly summaries from 1998 to April 2015.

Use only the station with pre-calculated Normals  (anomalies from 1981-2010 avg).

Average them on a 1×1 grid and then graph the data:

Map of snowfall in Canada for September 2014 from Environment Canada’s monthly summaries.

The size of the black dot in the top left corner represents 100cm of snow. MOUNTAIN VIEW VILLAGE got 80cm in September. Top 10 list is below.

Click for bigger.

Prov	Stn_Name	Snow(cm)	Lat	Long
AB	MOUNTAIN VIEW VILLAGE	80	49.132	-113.594
NU	ALERT UA	77.8	82.5	-62.333
AB	KANANASKIS	60.6	51.028	-115.035
AB	WILDCAT HILLS	34	51.269	-114.721
AB	CALGARY INTL A	28.2	51.123	-114.013
AB	OKOTOKS	19.6	50.729	-113.961
NU	BAKER LAKE A	17.8	64.299	-96.078
BC	FORT ST. JOHN A	15.6	56.238	-120.74
NU	RANKIN INLET A	15.4	62.811	-92.115
AB	BRULE BLACK CAT	15.2	53.35	-117.867

Yesterday I did a post looking at Snowfall in Canada for January 2014. After that I wondered what was the snowiest month in Canadian history?

I chose two semi-arbitrary criteria. Lots of weather stations so after 1940. And the largest average snowfall for all stations combined.

January 1966 was at the top of that list. Map of snowfall in Canada for January 1966 from Environment Canada’s monthly summaries.

The size of the black dot in the top left corner represents 100cm of snow. KITIMAT TOWNSITE got 436.9cm in January 1966. For the non-metric, that is 172 inches.

Click for bigger.

 

25 Snowiest Location in Canada January 1966 (Not Snow on the ground – Snowfall falling in one month)

Prov	Stn_Name	Snowfall in cm
BC	KITIMAT TOWNSITE	436.9
BC	GLACIER NP ROGERS PASS	343.1
BC	PINE PASS	327.3
BC	MICA DAM	322.2
BC	REVELSTOKE	300.4
BC	ALLISON PASS	294.6
BC	HOLLYBURN RIDGE	268.5
BC	TAHTSA LAKE WEST	267
BC	KITIMAT	261.5
BC	BLUE RIVER NORTH	259.9
BC	TUNNEL CAMP	232.1
BC	GARIBALDI	224.6
BC	FALLS RIVER	220.8
QUE	MONT-JOLI A	212.8
BC	MOUNT SEYMOUR	212.7
BC	ALTA LAKE 2	212.3
BC	KEMANO	210.2
QUE	ST OCTAVE DE L’AVENIR	208.8
ALTA	WATERTON PARK HQ	203.6
BC	PEMBERTON MEADOWS	198.1
NFLD	ST JOHN’S WEST CDA	193.6
BC	QUESNEL MOOSE HEIGHTS	193.3
BC	MALAKWA EAGLE R HATCHERY	193.2
QUE	FORESTVILLE	192.8
QUE	MURDOCHVILLE	191.1

Map of snowfall in Canada for January 2014 from Environment Canada’s monthly summaries.

The size of the black dot in the top left corner represents 100cm of snow. Muskoka got 158cm in January. For the non-metric, that is 62 inches.

Click for bigger.

25 Snowiest Location in Canada January 2014

Prov	Stn_Name	Snow in cm
ONT	MUSKOKA A	158
ONT	BALACLAVA	147
ONT	WIARTON A	139.9
ONT	MARKDALE	138.6
BC	MICA DAM	136.4
ONT	RAVENSCLIFFE	135.6
ONT	COLDWATER WARMINSTER	130.4
BC	WHISTLER ROUNDHOUSE	130.1
BC	BLUE RIVER A	129.4
NFLD	STEPHENVILLE A	121.4
ONT	JAMESTOWN	121.3
ONT	THORNBURY 3	120
ONT	SANDFIELD	118
ONT	KINCARDINE	105.4
QUE	SEPT-ILES UA	105.3
ONT	PETROLIA ROKEBY	96.8
ONT	WINDSOR A	93.6
BC	VERNON SILVER STAR LODGE	93
NS	GREENWOOD A	92.9
NS	LYONS BROOK	88
QUE	MONT STE-ANNE	87.5
NFLD	PLUM POINT	87.1
BC	GOLDSTREAM RIVER	86.5
ONT	SHANTY BAY	86.1
NFLD	BRANCH	84

The data is from the monthly summaries put out by Environment Canada.

Snowfall is in cm. About 2.5cm to the inch for the non-metric.

Many of these stations are new and only 2 or 4 years of data. Foldens Ont does have 49 years of data and broke the old record by 19.2cm.

New Snowfall Records for February 2013  = Most Average Snow in February

Stn_Name	Prov	New Record (cm)	Previous Record (cm)	Difference	Previous Record Year	Years of Data
BARRIE LANDFILL	ONT	109.3	37	72.3	2012	2
SUMMERSIDE SNOW 2	PEI	73.2	28	45.2	2012	2
PUKASKWA (AUT)	ONT	37	10.7	26.3	1997	4
OTTAWA INTL	ONT	32.4	10.2	22.2	2012	2
JAMESTOWN	ONT	135.5	113.9	21.6	2007	7
MORELL SNOW	PEI	100.8	79.6	21.2	2012	2
FOLDENS	ONT	78.2	59	19.2	1985	49
OAKVILLE TWN	ONT	51.8	34.1	17.7	2011	6
KINGSBORO SNOW	PEI	68.6	53.6	15	2012	2
GASPE A	QUE	140.2	125.9	14.3	2008	42
ST CATHARINES BROCK U	ONT	79	65.3	13.7	2011	10
OAK POINT, NB	NB	60.5	50	10.5	2012	2
REGINA RCMP SNOW	SASK	22	13.5	8.5	2009	8
SONYA SUNDANCE MEADOWS	ONT	78	69.6	8.4	2008	11
THUNDER BAY BURWOOD	ONT	23	15	8	2011	8
TAPLEY	ONT	95.9	88	7.9	2008	8
WROXETER	ONT	106.9	99.4	7.5	1968	39
FERGUS MOE	ONT	77	72.4	4.6	1972	45
ELMWOOD SNOW	PEI	106.2	101.8	4.4	2012	2
ESK	SASK	25.4	21.2	4.2	2009	28
REGINA CO-OP UPGRADER SN	SASK	14.5	11.6	2.9	2012	8
BEACON HILL	SASK	34	32	2	2008	28
BLACKSTOCK	ONT	69.3	67.7	1.6	2008	12

 

Top 10 Snowfall (all time) in February in Canada

Prov	Stn Name	Year	Month	Snowfall (cm)
BC	MT WASHINGTON RESORT	1999	2	689.5
BC	MT WASHINGTON UPPER	1999	2	648
BC	KEMANO KILDALA PASS	1954	2	514.5
BC	CYPRESS BOWL UPPER	1999	2	506.5
BC	TAHTSA LAKE WEST	1999	2	487.5
BC	GALORE CREEK	1967	2	481.3
BC	GLACIER	1954	2	463.9
BC	REVELSTOKE MT COPELAND	1972	2	453.9
BC	MT WASHINGTON UPPER	1998	2	448
BC	WHISTLER ROUNDHOUSE	1999	2	443