Submitted by Bill Caulfeild-Browne
December was another of the long string of winter months warmer than the 20th century. The mean temperature was +2.7C, or a full three degrees above normal. The high was 7.8C on the 3rd and the low was -8.1C on the 21st.
But none of that is why the month will be remembered. A full week before Christmas, forecasters began warning of a massive storm that would envelop most of the USA and Canada. Their predictions were accurate, as I’m sure all the residents of Ontario are well aware. The winds began to rise on the 23rd, reaching as much as 80 kms/hr in Tobermory and higher to the south of us. This continued on the 24th; winds averaged 35 kms/hr and continued to gust to 80 kms/hr.
Copious snow caused whiteouts just about everywhere. Virtually all roads in Grey-Bruce were closed. It’s hard to say how much snow fell, because the gales blew much of it clear across my gauge. Nonetheless, it recorded 80 mm. of water, which roughly equals 8 cm. of the white stuff. Judging by the state of my driveway it was probably twice that much – without the drifting. My deck overlooking the lake had a 1.5 metre pile at one end but was bare at the other end where it was exposed to the wind.
The winds died down on the 27th and switched to the south, bringing in warmer air, and as I write this on January 3rd, most of the snow has disappeared. We were relatively lucky with our temperatures during the storm – areas like London and Grand Bend (where my wife and I had hoped to be with family) had negative temperatures well into the teens while our low was just -6C.
Across Ontario generally, many records were set. In northwestern Ontario some stations reported temperatures less than -30C – yet a week later reported the mercury had gone as much as 14C above normal. With the exception of Kenora (0.4C below normal), almost everywhere had a warm December. It was a month of extremes.
January is tentatively forecast to be relatively warm and precipitation to be above normal, at least for places east of the Great Lakes. Ice on the lakes is less than usual, which may presage more lake-effect snow.
