Submitted by Bill Caulfeild-Browne
Unlike most of its predecessors November was essentially normal. The mean temperature was just one degree above historical values, well within one standard deviation. It began quite warm with the first week reaching double digits each day – and a high of 11.7C on the 2nd.
The first frost on Big Tub didn’t arrive until the 8th when the mercury dipped to -1.9C. This ushered in a cool week with single digit highs until we briefly visited +10.4C on the 15th. Unless December yields some unusual warmth, that will have been the last “warm” day of the year.
Our lowest temperature was -4.5C on the 30th, though I note it dipped to -7.6 away from the lake at the airport. This was a prelude to the first winter storm on November 30th – a really nasty wet snowfall and very slippery conditions.
Precipitation was below normal at 51mm against an average for November of 68mm. The wettest day was the 30th, a mixture of ice pellets, snow and rain which kept falling the next day.
The Northern Bruce escaped the worst of the three winter storms that hit on the 9th, the 10/11th and the 26/28th. The lake-effect squalls that doused most of Eastern and Southern Ontario passed right over us. Toronto Pearson saw over 200% of its usual snowfall.
Finally the Great Lakes have started to ice over. This is normal – the last week in November generally sees ice on Saginaw Bay and the St. Mary’s River. The forecast for the next few weeks is unseasonably cold so we may see real ice soon and the lake effect streamers may come to an end.
