Submitted by Bill Caulfeild-Browne
December was another warmer-than-normal month. The most convincing evidence is that we didn’t get a white Xmas, at least on Big Tub Harbour. There were pockets of snow around Tobermory but the coverage was 10% at best.
The only event that stands out was the storm on the 11th which saw winds gusting to near 80 km/hr and precipitation of 13 mm – mostly rain as the temperature was well above freezing.
There was off and on snow the entire month but no great accumulation because of a constant freeze-thaw cycle. We’d just begin to think winter had arrived when another blast of (relative) warmth would arrive from the south. The result was a lot of slush and, for pedestrians, perilous ice. The blasts of winter originate in Colorado and are known as Colorado Lows.
The high for the month occurred on the 16th when we reached a balmy 11.5C. This was the only and probably last double-digit temperature of the season. In many parts of Ontario records were broken – it was the fifth warmest December ever recorded. On December 11th Pearson Airport registered 17.9C.
The lowest the mercury hit was -8.3C on the 25th. Total rain/snow fall amounted to 57mm, which is a little below the average of the last 25 years. This was similar to the rest of the province, a contrast to the Fall. The month went out like the proverbial lamb, virtually windless and just around the freezing mark.
A Look Back at 2021
2021 as a whole saw further evidence of climate change. Every month except July was warmer than the 20th century means. January, March and October were all more than three degrees above normal. July was almost normal at -0.6C below average.
The mean temperature for the year was 7.9C. The 20th century (1914-1983) mean for Tobermory was 6.0C. This was the third warmest year – 1998 was 8.0C and 2012 was a whopping 8.3C. (For statisticians, one standard deviation is 0.8C.)
As I write this on January 5th it’s snowing but just above freezing – which, if the forecast is right – will give way to very cold weather with overnight lows in the negative teens. Winter will really start to bite.
Happy New Year to all.
