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Canadian Climate Superlatives (Temp, Precip, Snow)


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Here are the Canadian temperature/precipitation and snowfall superlatives by province as I've been able to determine. Likely some errors. Highest and lowest temp are the generally accepted "official" values by the Canadian government. All values are in degrees Fahrenheit and inches (sorry I'm an American so I "think" better in Imperial).

Alberta
Highest Temp: 110 at Ft MacLeod on 7/18/1941
Lowest Temp: -77 at Ft Vermilion on 1/11/1911
Highest Precip, day: 8.39" at Eckville South on 6/30/1970
Highest Precip, month: 14.33" at Mountain View Birdseye, 5/1927

Highest Precip, year: 58.00" at Cameron Falls, 1995

Lowest Precip, year" 5.03" at Empress, 1943
Highest Snowfall, day: 32.0" at Coleman on 11/18/1946
Highest Snowfall, month: 112.8" at Columbia Icefield, 1/1974
Highest Snowfall, season: 420.4" at Columbia Icefield, 1973-74

British Columbia

Highest Temp: 112 at Lillooet and Lytton on 7/17/1941
Lowest Temp: -74 at Smith River on 1/31/1947
Highest Precip, day: 19.26" at Ucluelet-Brynnor Mines on 10/6/1967 (all-time Canadian record)
Highest Precip, month: 79.47" at Henderson Lake, 12/1923 (all-time Canadian record)
Highest Precip, year: 373.19" at Henderson Lake, 1997 (all-time Canadian record)

Lowest Precip, year: 2.80" at Ashcroft, 1938
Highest Snowfall, day: 57.0" at Tahtsa Lake West, 2/11/1999 (all-time Canadian record)
Highest Snowfall, month: 271.5" at Mt. Washington, 2/1999 (all-time Canadian record)
Highest Snowfall, season: 963.0" at Revelstoke Mt. Copeland, 1971-72 (all-time Canadian record)

Manitoba

Highest Temp: 112 at Emerson and St. Albans, 7/11/1936
Lowest Temp: -63 at Norway House, 1/9/1899
Highest Precip, day: 8.55" at Riding Mtn Park, 9/18/1975
Highest Precip, month: 12.13" at Riding Mtn Park, 9/1975
Highest Precip, year: 30.04" at Riding Mtn Park, 1975

Lowest Precip, year: 8.43" at Churchill, 1944
Highest Snowfall, day: 29.9" at Virden, 4/19/1992
Highest Snowfall, month: 46.6" at York Factory, 4/1914
Highest Snowfall, season: 236.3" at York Factory, 1913-14

New Brunswick
Highest Temp: 103 at Woodstock and Rexton, 8/19/1935
Lowest Temp: -53 at Sisson Dam, 2/1/1955
Highest Precip, day: 7.05" at Alma, 4/1/1962
Highest Precip, month: 15.00" at Alma, 3/1994
Highest Precip, year: 84.63" at Alma, 1979

Lowest Precip, year: 28.08" at Belledune, 1987
Highest Snowfall, day: 32.7" at Moncton, 2/1/1992
Highest Snowfall, month: 98.0" at Moncton, 2/1992
Highest Snowfall, season: ?? (TBD)

Newfoundland and Labrador
Highest Temp: 100 at Goose Bay, 7/4/1944
Lowest Temp: -60 at Esker, 2/7/1973
Highest Precip, day: 6.82" at St. John's, 8/29/1876
Highest Precip, month: 15.71" at St. Lawrence, 8/1970
Highest Precip, year: 103.59" at Pools Cove Fortune Bay, 1993
Lowest Precip, year: 15.52" at Hopedale, 1943
Highest Snowfall, day: 41.3" at Main Brook, 2/5/1988
Highest Snowfall, month: 102.5" at Nain, 1/1970
Highest Snowfall, season: 338.4" at Nain, 1984-85

Northwest Territories
Note: Records prior to 1999 for present-day Nunavut locations listed under Nunavut not NWT
Highest Temp: 103 at Fort Smith, 7/18/1941
Lowest Temp: -71 at Fort Smith, 12/26/1917
Highest Precip, day: 3.94" at Fort Liard, 7/2/1986
Highest Precip, month: 9.54" at Nahanni Butte, 8/1974
Highest Precip, year: 34.26" at Tungsten, 1986
Lowest Precip, year: 1.18" at Mould Bay, 1965 (all-time Canadian record)
Highest Snowfall, day: 19.2" at Yohin, 10/26/2001
Highest Snowfall, month: 60.6" at Tungsten, 10/1978
Highest Snowfall, season: 210.2" at Tungsten, 1985-86

Nova Scotia
Highest Temp: 101 at Collegeville, 8/19/1935
Lowest Temp: -42 at Upper Stewiacke, 1/31/1920
Highest Precip, day: 9.41" at Halifax, 9/21/1942
Highest Precip, month: 22.44" at Ingonish Bay, 11/1969
Highest Precip, year: 103.42" at Wreck Cove Brook, 1988
Lowest Precip, year: 25.68" at Pugwash, 1965
Highest Snowfall, day: 27.6 at Wreck Cove Brook, 1/21/1998 and at Middle Musquodoboit, 2/8/1981
Highest Snowfall, month: 88.0" at Cheticamp, 3/1961
Highest Snowfall, season: 255.0" at Cheticamp, 1964-65

Nunavut

Highest Temp: 95 at Kugluktuk, 7/15/1989
Lowest Temp: -72 at Shepherd Bay, 2/12/1973
Highest Precip, day: 5.03" at Coral Harbour, 10/10/1973
Highest Precip, month: 9.55" at Cape Dyer, 10/1966
Highest Precip, year: 42.25" at Cape Dyer, 1979
Lowest Precip, year: 1.23" at Eureka, 1956
Highest Snowfall, day: 31.7" at Cape Dyer, 5/16/1975
Highest Snowfall, month: 93.1" at Cape Dyer, 10/1966
Highest Snowfall, season: 391.5" at Cape Dyer, 1978-79

Ontario

Highest Temp: 108 at Fort Frances, 7/13/1936
Lowest Temp: -73 at Iroquois Falls, 1/23/1935
Highest Precip, day: 8.41" at Snelgrove, 10/14-10/15/1954
Highest Precip, month: 11.99" at Chatsworth, 9/1986
Highest Precip, year: 63.79" at Stratford, 1884
Lowest Precip, year: 15.77" at Big Trout Lake, 1960
Highest Snowfall, day: 33.9" at Cochrane, 3/19/1983
Highest Snowfall, month: 111.2" at Owen Sound, 12/1985
Highest Snowfall, season: 255.0" at Owen Sound, 1898-99

Prince Edward Island
Still researching...TBD

Quebec
Highest Temp: 104 at Ville Marie, 7/6/1921

Lowest Temp: -66 at Doucet, 2/5/1923
Highest Precip, day: 6.77" at Barrage des Quinze during Aug 1932
Highest Precip, month: 11.94" at Cap Seize, 11/1990
Highest Precip, year: 75.95" at Foret Montmorency, 1976
Lowest Precip, year: 8.90" at Inukjuak
Highest Snowfall, day: 48.0" at Cap Madeleine, 3/20/1885
Highest Snowfall, month: 106.5" at Cap Madeleine, 1/1956
Highest Snowfall, season: 332.7" at Foret Montmorency, 1976-77

Saskatchewan
Highest Temp: 113 at Midale and Yellow Grass, 7/5/1937 (all-time Canadian record)
Lowest Temp: -70 at Prince Albert, 2/1/1893
Highest Precip, day: 7.59" at Cypress Hills Park, 6/27/1998
Highest Precip, month: 14.66" at Cypress Hills Park, 6/1998
Highest Precip, year: 32.54" at Cypress Hills Park, 1998
Lowest Precip, year: 7.00" at Alsask, 1961
Highest Snowfall, day: 24.0" at Lac La Ronge, 3/24/1979
Highest Snowfall, month: 52.4" at Collins Bay, 11/1988
Highest Snowfall, season: 138.2" at Cypress Hills Park, 1981-82

Yukon
Highest Temp: 97 at Mayo Road, 6/25/2004
Lowest Temp: -81 at Snag, 2/3/1947 (all-time Canadian record)
Highest Precip, day: 3.59" at Quiet Lake, 7/23/1972
Highest Precip, month: 10.70" at Sheldon Lake, 9/1970
Highest Precip, year: 29.17" at Swift River, 1988
Lowest Precip, year: 2.02" at Komakuk Beach, 1968
Highest Snowfall, day: 26.5" at Haines Junction, 10/30/1949
Highest Snowfall, month: 42.1" at Swift River, 10/1997
Highest Snowfall, season: 165.9" at Swift River, 1978-79

Any corrections are welcome.

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Wow! Taking all things into consideration BC has the most impressive extremes. It holds its own on temps and blows everywhere else away on precip and snowfall.

Death To Warm Anomalies!

 

Winter 2023-24 stats

 

Total Snowfall = 1.0"

Day with 1" or more snow depth = 1

Total Hail = 0.0

Total Ice = 0.2

Coldest Low = 13

Lows 32 or below = 45

Highs 32 or below = 3

Lows 20 or below = 3

Highs 40 or below = 9

 

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Good stuff Chris!

 

I've seen a -79F quoted for Fort Good Hope on December 31, 1910. At the same time I've also seen the value you have (-71 in Fort Smith) presented as the NWT record. So I'm not sure which value to believe.

 

Fort Vermillion actually hit -78 in 1911 and not -77. Minor correction.

 

As far as PEI, if my memory serves correct their record low is from 1884 and its something like -32F or -35F, right around there.

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I'm impressed with the amount of data here. I did not know that February 1999 was the snowiest month on record. This is quite interesting because February is typically a dry month in BC. As a matter of fact, the many places in the interior get less than 10 mm (0.39") in February on average. 

 

My only question is why didn't you include the August 11, 1914 record of 107F at North West River, Newfoundland&Labrador? Is this because you suspect as I do that the number is erroneous? It does get suspicious when this record setting day was sandwiched by two days that didn't even reach 70 degrees. 

 

I'm more familiar with BC records though. On that front, it is without question that Ashcroft, BC is the driest place in Canada south of the high arctic, averaging about 8 inches per year, but I question the 1934 number. Either way, all the top driest years recorded have been in Ashcroft. Interestingly, Canada's wettest location is a mere 200 miles away at Henderson Lake. Actually, I think it's North America's wettest location. In terms of the 112F recorded in 1941, you failed to include Barriere (Chinook Cove). Also, Lillooet and Lytton recorded 112F two days in a row. 

 

P.S. Hottest in PEI that I know of is 98F set in August 19. 1935 (Charlottetown); the coldest temperature is -35F set in January 26, 1884 in Kilmahumiag (wherever that is). 

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I'm impressed with the amount of data here. I did not know that February 1999 was the snowiest month on record. This is quite interesting because February is typically a dry month in BC. As a matter of fact, the many places in the interior get less than 10 mm (0.39") in February on average. 

 

My only question is why didn't you include the August 11, 1914 record of 107F at North West River, Newfoundland&Labrador? Is this because you suspect as I do that the number is erroneous? It does get suspicious when this record setting day was sandwiched by two days that didn't even reach 70 degrees. 

 

I'm more familiar with BC records though. On that front, it is without question that Ashcroft, BC is the driest place in Canada south of the high arctic, averaging about 8 inches per year, but I question the 1934 number. Either way, all the top driest years recorded have been in Ashcroft. Interestingly, Canada's wettest location is a mere 200 miles away at Henderson Lake. Actually, I think it's North America's wettest location. In terms of the 112F recorded in 1941, you failed to include Barriere (Chinook Cove). Also, Lillooet and Lytton recorded 112F two days in a row. 

 

P.S. Hottest in PEI that I know of is 98F set in August 19. 1935 (Charlottetown); the coldest temperature is -35F set in January 26, 1884 in Kilmahumiag (wherever that is). 

Thanks for the correction. The 1938 precip value for Ashcroft appears to be complete, at least based on the data for each month, which is why I included it.

 

100 at Goose Bay is the officially recognized provincial heat record for Newfoundland and Labrador...107 seems incorrect also considering the Quebec record of only 104 at Ville Marie (near Ontario).

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Yes, I meant 1938 for Ashcroft, not 1934. It just seems a bit off compared to the nearby weather stations (eg. Kamloops and Lillooet). Kamloops and Lillooet were normal that year while Ashcroft was extremely dry. The climate can very a lot a few miles away, so I'm not saying it didn't happen. Where I live, I can have 3 feet of snow, while people living 10 miles away at the same elevation can have a few inches of snow. 

 

A year or two ago when asked about the 107F reading in NL, Environment Canada replied that it was indeed true, and sent a copy of the old cut sheet as proof. If I'm reading your correctly, they have now stripped that one from the record book. 

 

Moving on, what is truly fascinating with your data is that the snowiest month in all three territories is October. Also, the Yukon is the only place in Canada to never record 100mm of precipitation in a single day. 

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Yes, I meant 1938 for Ashcroft, not 1934. It just seems a bit off compared to the nearby weather stations (eg. Kamloops and Lillooet). Kamloops and Lillooet were normal that year while Ashcroft was extremely dry. The climate can very a lot a few miles away, so I'm not saying it didn't happen. Where I live, I can have 3 feet of snow, while people living 10 miles away at the same elevation can have a few inches of snow. 

 

A year or two ago when asked about the 107F reading in NL, Environment Canada replied that it was indeed true, and sent a copy of the old cut sheet as proof. If I'm reading your correctly, they have now stripped that one from the record book. 

 

Moving on, what is truly fascinating with your data is that the snowiest month in all three territories is October. Also, the Yukon is the only place in Canada to never record 100mm of precipitation in a single day. 

I am not sure if they decertified the NL record or not...but there's no way it occurred. 57 deg temp range in one day with a 19 and 14 deg range before and after? I'd venture to say a 57 deg diurnal range doesn't occur east of the Rockies except during the strongest arctic fropas (frontal passages).

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Glacier, you seem well-versed on Canadian climate data...what do you think of the 80 at Pekisko, AB on 1/31/1905? Also 77 on 2/2/1905 same location? Finally an 80 on 11/15/1905 at Pekisko, AB. They seem quite high but this location is in prime spot for chinook warmth. Also Fort MacLeod recorded a 77 on 12/8/1903.

Further south in Montana 70s have been recorded in the Chinook belt...75 at Choteau on 1/11/1919. Also a few wintertime 70s at Augusta.

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Yes, I meant 1938 for Ashcroft, not 1934. It just seems a bit off compared to the nearby weather stations (eg. Kamloops and Lillooet). Kamloops and Lillooet were normal that year while Ashcroft was extremely dry. The climate can very a lot a few miles away, so I'm not saying it didn't happen. Where I live, I can have 3 feet of snow, while people living 10 miles away at the same elevation can have a few inches of snow. 

 

A year or two ago when asked about the 107F reading in NL, Environment Canada replied that it was indeed true, and sent a copy of the old cut sheet as proof. If I'm reading your correctly, they have now stripped that one from the record book. 

 

Moving on, what is truly fascinating with your data is that the snowiest month in all three territories is October. Also, the Yukon is the only place in Canada to never record 100mm of precipitation in a single day. 

 

I read that link you provided. It doesn't sound like Environment Canada does any real quality control. That's unfortunate.

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Glacier, you seem well-versed on Canadian climate data...what do you think of the 80 at Pekisko, AB on 1/31/1905? Also 77 on 2/2/1905 same location? Finally an 80 on 11/15/1905 at Pekisko, AB. They seem quite high but this location is in prime spot for chinook warmth. Also Fort MacLeod recorded a 77 on 12/8/1903.

 

Further south in Montana 70s have been recorded in the Chinook belt...75 at Choteau on 1/11/1919. Also a few wintertime 70s at Augusta.

 

I call BS on every one of those Alberta readings. Not realistic.

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Glacier, you seem well-versed on Canadian climate data...what do you think of the 80 at Pekisko, AB on 1/31/1905? Also 77 on 2/2/1905 same location? Finally an 80 on 11/15/1905 at Pekisko, AB. They seem quite high but this location is in prime spot for chinook warmth. Also Fort MacLeod recorded a 77 on 12/8/1903.

 

Further south in Montana 70s have been recorded in the Chinook belt...75 at Choteau on 1/11/1919. Also a few wintertime 70s at Augusta.

I have not spent much time analyzing the climate east of the BC and the Yukon, but at first thought I would say it's highly unlikely but possible since the Yukon was over 60 degrees last January. That said, I've looked this station up, and there is no data for January and February 1905 so I doubt this happened. Where did you get your data?  The Fort MacLeod number seems a little more reasonable, but I'm no expert on Alberta weather. I can tell you that Grand Forks, BC also hit 77 degrees in December of 1943, and I'm 99% certain that never happened.

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I have not spent much time analyzing the climate east of the BC and the Yukon, but at first thought I would say it's highly unlikely but possible since the Yukon was over 60 degrees last January. That said, I've looked this station up, and there is no data for January and February 1905 so I doubt this happened. Where did you get your data?  The Fort MacLeod number seems a little more reasonable, but I'm no expert on Alberta weather. I can tell you that Grand Forks, BC also hit 77 degrees in December of 1943, and I'm 99% certain that never happened.

 

I'll say 100%. Even eastern WA has never been that warm in December.

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I'll say 100%. Even eastern WA has never been that warm in December.

 

Too be fair, eastern WA is not the same climate - it's not as extreme. Granted, most of those numbers sound very suspect, but Chinook winds can create some crazy temps, and every location is different.

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Too be fair, eastern WA is not the same climate - it's not as extreme. Granted, most of those numbers sound very suspect, but Chinook winds can create some crazy temps, and every location is different.

 

I was talking about the Grand Forks BC reading though. No way that area sees 77 in December!

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I have not spent much time analyzing the climate east of the BC and the Yukon, but at first thought I would say it's highly unlikely but possible since the Yukon was over 60 degrees last January. That said, I've looked this station up, and there is no data for January and February 1905 so I doubt this happened. Where did you get your data?  The Fort MacLeod number seems a little more reasonable, but I'm no expert on Alberta weather. I can tell you that Grand Forks, BC also hit 77 degrees in December of 1943, and I'm 99% certain that never happened.

Try the records listed for Pekisko in the 1971-2000 normals. Looks like Jan 31, 1906 hit 26.7c. For some reason I had put 1905, my bad.

 

http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?stnID=2427&lang=e&StationName=Pekisko&SearchType=Contains&stnNameSubmit=go&dCode=4&dispBack=1

 

Apparently their QC algorithm removed the value as it's missing on the monthly sheet

 

http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climateData/dailydata_e.html?timeframe=2&Prov=AB&StationID=2427&mlyRange=1905-01-01|1992-12-01&Year=1906&cmdB1=Go&Month=1&Day=1

 

However they trust the 21.1c reading earlier in the month.

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Moving on, what is truly fascinating with your data is that the snowiest month in all three territories is October. Also, the Yukon is the only place in Canada to never record 100mm of precipitation in a single day. 

 

It makes a lot of sense if you think about precip patterns in northern Canada...summer is wettest as cold air can't hold much moisture. Thus the snowiest time of year would be expected to be late summer in the high Arctic and fall in areas south of there across Yukon/NWT and Nunavut as the summertime precip maximum wanes. For Yukon you also have a pretty energized polar jet slamming into SE Alaska and south-central Alaska in late summer and early fall, some of that moisture survives into the Yukon.

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On second thought, I highly doubt any winter records occurred when the overnight temperature was so cold. I know from here in BC the Chinook winds means very warm nights... almost as warm as summer nights in fact. Therefore, any 77 degree reading in BC or Alberta during December never happened because the overnight temperatures are not all that warm. Plus, "nearby" stations failed to show anything impressive. I don't know about Alberta as much, but in BC it is always the same places that get the most extreme temperatures from the Chinook winds, and Grand Forks is not one of them. 

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Using the dates provided by the OP, here is a graph breaking these records down by decade. It's really interesting to me that the 1950s are not more prominent because it was a decade of extremes with extremely cold winters and extremely hot summers. As far as I know, 1958 in Lillooet is the hottest summer ever recorded in Canada. 1955 was one of the coldest years as well around here. Five years before that Okanagan Lake froze so solid in 1950 that people could drive trucks across the ice. This had never happened before, nor has it happened since. 

 

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Using the dates provided by the OP, here is a graph breaking these records down by decade. It's really interesting to me that the 1950s are not more prominent because it was a decade of extremes with extremely cold winters and extremely hot summers. As far as I know, 1958 in Lillooet is the hottest summer ever recorded in Canada. 1955 was one of the coldest years as well around here. Five years before that Okanagan Lake froze so solid in 1950 that people could drive trucks across the ice. This had never happened before, nor has it happened since. 

 

 

Jan 1930, Jan 1937 and Feb 1933 seem like they would be good candidates for similar ice thickness.

 

Of course there are months that blow away Jan 1950 earlier in the 20th century as well, such as Jan 1909

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On second thought, I highly doubt any winter records occurred when the overnight temperature was so cold. I know from here in BC the Chinook winds means very warm nights... almost as warm as summer nights in fact. Therefore, any 77 degree reading in BC or Alberta during December never happened because the overnight temperatures are not all that warm. Plus, "nearby" stations failed to show anything impressive. I don't know about Alberta as much, but in BC it is always the same places that the most extreme temperatures from the Chinook winds, and Grand Forks is not one of them. 

Agreed, because Chinooks are due to compressional heating...generally they feature rather low RH as a result. If it stays well mixed overnight temps may only fall 5-10 deg below daytime highs. It would take an incredibly warm airmass at 700 mb to produce mid-upper 70s at Pekisko which sits at just under 4,000' or about 875-880 mb. In order to adiabatically warm to +25c at Pekisko you would need a 700 mb temp upstream of +8c! This assumes no horizontal WAA in the boundary layer but entirely compressional heating from downsloping.

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Jan 1930, Jan 1937 and Feb 1933 seem like they would be good candidates for similar ice thickness.

 

Of course there are months that blow away Jan 1950 earlier in the 20th century as well, such as Jan 1909

Not in southern BC. The 1930s doen't even come close to January 1950 in BC as this month blows every other month on record out of the water. In fact, with the possible exception of February 1936 on the Praires, it's probably the most extreme month ever record in North America in terms of deviation from from the average. January 1950 was more than 20C/36F below the 1981-2010 average in many places like Vavenby and Prince George.

 

In terms of freezing large lakes 100 km long, they need very cold weather to last for several weeks. It is well known that Okanagan Lake only froze over twice in the 20th century, 1907 was the first time, and 1950 was the second. 1950 was more impressive because the ice was 20 inches thick.  

 

Here is a list of the top 7 coldest months on record in the 20th century in Vernon (located on Okanagan Lake):

1) Jan 1950 = -3.1F (-19.5C)

2) Jan 1916 = 0F (-17.8C)

3) Jan 1930 = 3.6F (-15.8C)

4) Jan 1907 = 5.2F (-14.9C)

5) Feb 1936 = 6.1F (-14.4C)

6) Jan 1937 = 6.3F (-14.3C)

7) Jan 1969 = 6.4F (-14.2C)

 

 

 

I think by late February you can see some 20C/68F weather, but anything beyond that is suspect. Here is one blog post that lists all BC maximum temperatures up to 2012. 

 

Let's quickly analyze the January records:

PACHENA POINT...........................30C (86F) in 2008  

 108 MILE HOUSE ABEL LAKE................28.5C (83.3F) in 2012

PRINCETON A.............................23.4C (74.1F) in 2008

HANEY UBC RF ADMIN......................22C (71.6F) in 2011

JELLICOE................................22C (71.6F) in 2012

SALTSPRING ST MARYS L...................22C (71.6F) in 2010 

MYRA CREEK..............................21.5C (70.7F) in 2005

LADNER..................................20.6C (69.1F) in 1899 Likely true. 

DAWSONS LANDING.........................20.5C (68.9F) in 1986 Likely true.

PORT ALICE..............................20.5C (68.9F) in 1986 Yes, two in one year. 

TOFINO A................................20.1C (68.2F) in 1986 Ha, three in one year. 

FRASER CAMP.............................20C (68F) in 2003  This is the most messed up station of all time. How can EC with a straight face say that extreme northern BC went an entire winter month without dropping below freezing!

SPENCES BRIDGE..........................20C (68F) in 1899 Likely true.         

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Not in southern BC. The 1930s doen't even come close to January 1950 in BC as this month blows every other month on record out of the water. In fact, with the possible exception of February 1936 on the Praires, it's probably the most extreme month ever record in North America in terms of deviation from from the average. January 1950 was more than 20C/36F below the 1981-2010 average in many places like Vavenby and Prince George.

 

In terms of freezing large lakes 100 km long, they need very cold weather to last for several weeks. It is well known that Okanagan Lake only froze over twice in the 20th century, 1907 was the first time, and 1950 was the second. 1950 was more impressive because the ice was 20 inches thick.  

 

Here is a list of the top 7 coldest months on record in the 20th century in Vernon (located on Okanagan Lake):

1) Jan 1950 = -3.1F (-19.5C)

2) Jan 1916 = 0F (-17.8C)

3) Jan 1930 = 3.6F (-15.8C)

4) Jan 1907 = 5.2F (-14.9C)

5) Feb 1936 = 6.1F (-14.4C)

6) Jan 1937 = 6.3F (-14.3C)

7) Jan 1969 = 6.4F (-14.2C)

 

 

 

I think by late February you can see some 20C/68F weather, but anything beyond that is suspect. Here is one blog post that lists all BC maximum temperatures up to 2012. 

 

Let's quickly analyze the January records:

PACHENA POINT...........................30C (86F) in 2008  

 108 MILE HOUSE ABEL LAKE................28.5C (83.3F) in 2012

PRINCETON A.............................23.4C (74.1F) in 2008

HANEY UBC RF ADMIN......................22C (71.6F) in 2011

JELLICOE................................22C (71.6F) in 2012

SALTSPRING ST MARYS L...................22C (71.6F) in 2010 

MYRA CREEK..............................21.5C (70.7F) in 2005

LADNER..................................20.6C (69.1F) in 1899 Likely true. 

DAWSONS LANDING.........................20.5C (68.9F) in 1986 Likely true.

PORT ALICE..............................20.5C (68.9F) in 1986 Yes, two in one year. 

TOFINO A................................20.1C (68.2F) in 1986 Ha, three in one year. 

FRASER CAMP.............................20C (68F) in 2003  This is the most messed up station of all time. How can EC with a straight face say that extreme northern BC went an entire winter month without dropping below freezing!

SPENCES BRIDGE..........................20C (68F) in 1899 Likely true.         

Thanks...Ladner near Vancouver actually seems the most likely candidate to me too. NW Washington has the January heat record for the state, 74 at Darrington on 1/31/1940.

 

I had 65 at Lillooet on 1/29/1989 as the warmest on record.

 

Jan 18, 1986 reached 63 at Portland, OR

The Pacific Northwest: Where storms go to die.

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Not in southern BC. The 1930s doen't even come close to January 1950 in BC as this month blows every other month on record out of the water. In fact, with the possible exception of February 1936 on the Praires, it's probably the most extreme month ever record in North America in terms of deviation from from the average. January 1950 was more than 20C/36F below the 1981-2010 average in many places like Vavenby and Prince George.

 

In terms of freezing large lakes 100 km long, they need very cold weather to last for several weeks. It is well known that Okanagan Lake only froze over twice in the 20th century, 1907 was the first time, and 1950 was the second. 1950 was more impressive because the ice was 20 inches thick.  

 

Here is a list of the top 7 coldest months on record in the 20th century in Vernon (located on Okanagan Lake):

1) Jan 1950 = -3.1F (-19.5C)

2) Jan 1916 = 0F (-17.8C)

3) Jan 1930 = 3.6F (-15.8C)

4) Jan 1907 = 5.2F (-14.9C)

5) Feb 1936 = 6.1F (-14.4C)

6) Jan 1937 = 6.3F (-14.3C)

7) Jan 1969 = 6.4F (-14.2C)

 

 

 

I think by late February you can see some 20C/68F weather, but anything beyond that is suspect. Here is one blog post that lists all BC maximum temperatures up to 2012. 

 

Let's quickly analyze the January records:

PACHENA POINT...........................30C (86F) in 2008  

 108 MILE HOUSE ABEL LAKE................28.5C (83.3F) in 2012

PRINCETON A.............................23.4C (74.1F) in 2008

HANEY UBC RF ADMIN......................22C (71.6F) in 2011

JELLICOE................................22C (71.6F) in 2012

SALTSPRING ST MARYS L...................22C (71.6F) in 2010 

MYRA CREEK..............................21.5C (70.7F) in 2005

LADNER..................................20.6C (69.1F) in 1899 Likely true. 

DAWSONS LANDING.........................20.5C (68.9F) in 1986 Likely true.

PORT ALICE..............................20.5C (68.9F) in 1986 Yes, two in one year. 

TOFINO A................................20.1C (68.2F) in 1986 Ha, three in one year. 

FRASER CAMP.............................20C (68F) in 2003  This is the most messed up station of all time. How can EC with a straight face say that extreme northern BC went an entire winter month without dropping below freezing!

SPENCES BRIDGE..........................20C (68F) in 1899 Likely true.         

 

That Myra Creek reading from 2005 might have some merit. I don't know anything about that station however.

 

That was the event which brought 65F to Abbotsford on 1/19/2005. Monthly record of 66 at PDX.

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That Myra Creek reading from 2005 might have some merit. I don't know anything about that station however.

 

That was the event which brought 65F to Abbotsford on 1/19/2005. Monthly record of 66 at PDX.

 

Myra Creek is located on central Vancouver Island in Strathcona Park. It flows into Buttle Lake whose outlet eventually empties into the Strait of Georgia at Campbell River.

 

At any rate a high of 21.5c in January with 2mm of precip and a low of 5c seems highly unlikely to me.

 

http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climateData/dailydata_e.html?timeframe=2&Prov=BC&StationID=188&dlyRange=1979-06-01|2015-01-02&Year=2005&Month=1&Day=01

The Pacific Northwest: Where storms go to die.

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Glacier since you are the guru of BC weather stats, can you give your opinion on these values?

Maximum Temperature (record, day)
 

  24 hour Maximum Temperature  

Highest Date Location

Jan 69 12/1986 Port Alice, Dawsons Ldg

Feb 66 27/1992 Prince Rupert

Mar 75 30/1994 Barriere

Apr 97 21/1934 Lillooet

May 107 30/1936 Lillooet

Jun 104 17/1961 Lytton

Jul 112 17/1941 Lillooet, Lytton

Aug 107 9/1981 Lytton

Sep 102 3/1988 Lytton

Oct 88 6/1980 Kamloops

Nov 74 3/1927 Lillooet

Dec 72 3/1933 Lillooet

 

Minimum Temperature
 

Lowest Date Location

-74 31/1947 Smith River

-62 2/1968 Smith River

-58 2/1976 Arras

-31 1/1954 Smith River

2 2/1974 Sierra

21 1/1984 Whistler Roundhouse

24 13/1984 Whistler Roundhouse

16 12/1975 Yoho NP Wapta Lake

-2 26/1951 Smith River

-35 30/1984 Yoyo

-54 24/1955 Smith River

-63 29/1949 Smith River

 

values in Fahrenheit

The Pacific Northwest: Where storms go to die.

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In my view a record should not exist unless it is repeatable. ie. it happens more than once. I will give quick answers here with a more liberal interpretation. My answers in red

Glacier since you are the guru of BC weather stats, can you give your opinion on these values?

Maximum Temperature (record, day)
 

  24 hour Maximum Temperature  

Highest Date Location

Jan 69 12/1986 Port Alice, Dawsons Ldg I performed this exercise in another forum (not stuffradio's) for maximum temperatures only. This matches my answer. Technically this was recorded in degrees C (the nearest 0.5C). 20.5C. 

 

Feb 66 27/1992 Prince Rupert Are you asking about this specifically, or are you wondering if this was the highest on record? I will assume the latter. My answer: 

  • February = 21.7°C (71°F) at Port Alberni in 1916. I would not place money on any early 20th century Port Alberni (ALBERNI BEAVER CREEK)  records because this station seems to have been reading high for much of it. Agassiz (1906) and Keremeos (1894) both hit 71 degrees, though Agassiz seems like the most accurate station of the three.  

Mar 75 30/1994 Barriere This number is within the realm of possibility for sure. A lot of places have recorded temperatures in into the 80s. The ALBERNI BEAVER CREEK 89 reading from 1926 seems a bit off, but could be the record. 1934 was very warm in March with Stave Falls reaching 81F, Cumberland reaching 80F, and Lillooet reaching 78F.

Apr 97 21/1934 Lillooet This is my April extreme as well. 

May 107 30/1936 Lillooet This is my May number. The 1930s were filled with extremes.  

Jun 104 17/1961 Lytton I'm glad you don't have the 42C/107F reading in Boston Bar listed because I think Boston  Bar was reading a little high in 1987. I have Lytton down as reaching 106F in 1942. 

Jul 112 17/1941 Lillooet, Lytton You missed Chinook Cove/Barriere, though Lillooet and Lytton tend to get hotter so maybe they win, especially since they achieved 112F two days in a row.  

Aug 107 9/1981 Lytton I have a 41.8C/107.2F in 2004 in Lytton. 

Sep 102 3/1988 Lytton There is absolutely no question that 1988 was the hottest September heat wave on record. Here is what I said about the extreme maximum (note that 39C = 102.2F) :

  • September = 39.0°C at Williams LakeMcLeese lakeYaleBillingsCowichan Lake in 1988. Princeton, Lytton, and Merritt were close behind that same year recording 38.8, 38.7, and 38.5 respectively. 

Oct 88 6/1980 Kamloops That's a good bet for who actually set the all time record. I was being fairly forgiving in my analysis, and went with Greenwood even though I would probably only give it a 4 out of 10 in terms of how confident I am in the number. 

Nov 74 3/1927 Lillooet Kamloops was tied with that in 1975, but I have Merritt as one degree warmer in 1921. I'm probably only about 6 out of 10 confident about Merritt. 

Dec 72 3/1933 Lillooet This matches my analysis. 

 

I will deal with the minimums later. 

 

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Minimum Temperature

 

Lowest Date Location

-74 31/1947 Smith River

-62 2/1968 Smith River

-58 2/1976 Arras

-31 1/1954 Smith River

2 2/1974 Sierra

21 1/1984 Whistler Roundhouse

24 13/1984 Whistler Roundhouse

16 12/1975 Yoho NP Wapta Lake

-2 26/1951 Smith River

-35 30/1984 Yoyo

-54 24/1955 Smith River

-63 29/1949 Smith River

 

values in Fahrenheit

I will address the minimums now. I have not analyzed month-by-month, but I have gone season by season. I can't break the month-by-month data down for you, so you have a leg up on me there. Here are a few things that I have looked at in the past in terms of winter temperatures (I will address other months at a later date):

 

First of all, the Yukon cold snap from 1947 was the coldest in Canadian history including extreme northern BC, including Smith River. Therefore, the -74F is the all time record. Here is a list of the coldest temperatures ever recorded in BC:

1) -74F (-58.9C) at Smith River from January 31st, 1947.

2) -68.9F (-56C) at Fording River Clode Creek in December of 1978.   I seriously question this number for a number of reasons, but I'm almost wondering if it should have been -56F, not -56C because this was about the time stations were switching over to Celsius. This would be -48.9C, and makes a lot more sense. 

2) -68F (-55.6C) Finlay Forks on January 31, 1947. This town was flooded out when the W.A.C. Bennett Dam was built. 

3) -66F (-54.4C) at Smith River in February of 1947. This is the February record. 

4) -65F (-53.9C) at Fort St. John in January of 1911. This was by far the coldest cold snap to ever hit the Peace River area and Canada outside of the Yukon. Alberta dropped below -60C, and remains the only province to do so outside of the Yukon.

5) -64F (-53.3C) at Smith River in January of 1950. 

 

6) -63F (-52.8C) on 4 different times:

   a) Smith River in December of 1949 (What a winter this was, though the winter of 1968/69 is the coldest on record in northern BC in terms of the average temperature).

  B) Puntzi Mountain (Chilanko Forks) in December of 1968. This is the December record.  This place is the probably the most extreme place in southern BC, frequently being the coldest spot in BC and even Canada. It was the extreme cold spot in BC in 2014, the 4th time in the past 9 years. I used to live here, and can vouch for the cold weather. 30 miles away at the same elevation it's often 30 degrees warmer. There were no official records in 1950, but anecdotal reports from backyard thermometers say that the temperature dipped down to -74F. 

  c) Lower Post in 1972 and 1974 (both in January). 

 

7) -62F (-52.2C) in Puntzi Mountain and Hyland Post, both in January of 1972, as well as in February of 1968 in Smith River.

8) -61.6F (-52.0C) in Chetwynd in 1997 (recorded to the nearest 0.5C).

9) -61F (-51.7C) in Fort Nelson (January 1947) and Vanderhoof (January 1917).

10) -60F (-51.1C) in

  a) December 1968 near Alexis Creek

  B) January 1947 at Dease Lake

  c) December 1924 at Valemount

  d) February 1925 and January 1934 at Hudson Hope.

  e) January 1952 in Smith River.

  f) Lower Post in December 1968.

 

 

Those are all the -60F or colder recordings in BC. Here are other places that dropped down to -50C (-58F):

 

11) -59.8F (-51.0C) at Lower Liard Bridge in both Jan 1996 and Jan 1997 (recorded to the nearest 0.5C). 

12) -59F (-50.6C) at:

   a) Puntzi Mountain in December 1968.

    B) Arras in January 1974

   c) Smith River in January 1967.

 

13) -58.7F (-50.4C) at Muncho Lake in January 1996.

14) -58F (-50C) at:

   a) Kleena Kleene and Prince George in January 1950. 

    B) Atlin in December 1917

   c) Pouce Coupe in December 1927

   d) Lower Post in January 1969

   e) Smith River in 1954 and 1967.

 

edit: f) Arras in March 1976. This is the coldest temperature ever record in March.

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As I've mentioned previously, my analysis has been of seasons. The only province I've looked at is BC. Here are my totals:

 

WINTER

Highest average mean = 8.6°C (47.5°F) at Point Atkinson in 2002/03 & Howe Sound in 1991/92

Lowest average mean = -30.2°C(-22.7°F) at Lower Post in 1968/69

 

Extreme Maximum = 22.2°C(72°F) at Lillooet in 1933/34

Extreme Minimum = -58.9°C(-74°F) at Smith River in 1946/47

 

Most Snow = 1339.7 cm (527.4") at Revelstoke Mount Copeland in 1971/72

Most Precipitation = 4644.3 mm (182.85") at Henderson Lake in 1923/24

Least Precipitation = 1.9 mm (0.07") at Alexis Creek in 1963/64

 

SPRING

Highest average mean = 13.6°C (56.5°F) at Lytton in 1947

Lowest average mean = -7.2°C(19.0°F) at Old Glory Mountain in 1955

 

Extreme Maximum = 41.7°C(107°F) at Lillooet in 1936

Extreme Minimum = -50°C(-58°F) at Arras in 1976

 

Most Snow = 570.8 cm (224.7") at Revelstoke Mount Copeland in 1971

Most Precipitation = 2714.1 mm (106.85") at Henderson Lake in 1997

Least Precipitation = 4.3 mm (0.17") at Atlin in 1943

 

 

SUMMER

Highest average mean = 23.8°C (74.8°F) at Lillooet in 1958

Lowest average mean = 3.9°C(39.0°F) at Kemano Pass in 1955

 

Extreme Maximum = 44.4°C(112°F) at Lillooet (2x), Lytton (2x), and Barriere in 1941.

Extreme Minimum = -13.9°C(7°F) at Kootenay National Park in 1966

 

Most Snow = 101.7 cm (40.0") at Sustut Mountain in 1974

Most Precipitation = 1187.6 mm (46.76") at Henderson Lake in 1997

Least Precipitation = 3.0 mm (0.12") at Cameron Lake in 1951

 

FALL

Highest average mean = 13.9°C (57.0°F) at Clayoquot in 1944

Lowest average mean = -6.9°C(19.6°F) at Cassiar in 1955

 

Extreme Maximum = 39°C(102.2°F) at Billings, Yale, Williams Lake, McLeese Lake, and Lake Cowichan in 1988.

Extreme Minimum = -47.8°C(-54°F) at Smith River in 1955

 

Most Snow = 885 cm (348.4") at Glacier National Park in 1990

Most Precipitation = 3243.9 mm (127.71") at Henderson Lake in 1927

Least Precipitation = 4.9 mm (0.19") at Greenwood in 1929

 

 

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  • 6 years later...
On 1/7/2015 at 10:07 AM, Glacier said:
 

FALL

[...]

Extreme Minimum = -47.8°C(-54°F) at Smith River in 1955

 

 

 

UPDATE: I just realized that the Puntzi Mountain weather station was still in existence throughout the 1980s (source here: https://weatherspark.com/h/y/145177/1985/Historical-Weather-during-1985-at-Puntzi-Mountain-Airport-Canada)

Anyway, during the extreme cold snap of November, 1985, Puntzi Mountain bottomed out at -47.9C, so it is Puntzi, not Smith River that holds the November provincial record.

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On 3/11/2021 at 7:57 AM, Link said:

105+ in Canada? What kind of pattern setup is this? I knew interior BC can be hot in the summer but this is asinine! Are those readings legit?

105F  is very common in the interior, especially in the Fraser Canyon around Lytton. It doesn't occur every year, but almost, and BC is almost always the hottest place in Canada. Hot temperatures occur because of stable high pressure systems that set up in the summer, which draws up hot dry desert air from the southwestern US.

Here is a list of the year by year extreme temperatures in Canada... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_extreme_temperatures_in_Canada#Yearly_Canadian_temperature_extremes

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On 1/4/2015 at 12:46 AM, IbrChris said:

Glacier since you are the guru of BC weather stats, can you give your opinion on these values?

Maximum Temperature (record, day)
 

  24 hour Maximum Temperature  

Highest Date Location

Jan 69 12/1986 Port Alice, Dawsons Ldg

Feb 66 27/1992 Prince Rupert

Mar 75 30/1994 Barriere

Apr 97 21/1934 Lillooet

May 107 30/1936 Lillooet

Jun 104 17/1961 Lytton

Jul 112 17/1941 Lillooet, Lytton

Aug 107 9/1981 Lytton

Sep 102 3/1988 Lytton

Oct 88 6/1980 Kamloops

Nov 74 3/1927 Lillooet

Dec 72 3/1933 Lillooet

UPDATE: A new record was set for June in 2015. Therefore, the all time record highs for June are:

 

1) Hedley = 108F/ 42C in 2015
-- Boston Bar = 42C in 1987 (this one is probably a little high)
3) Trail = 106F/ 41.1C in 2015
-- Lytton = 41.1C in 1942
5) Oliver =41C in 2008
6) Osoyoos = 40.9C in 2015
7) Ashcroft = 105F/ 40.6C in 2015
-- Lillooet = 40.6C in 1925
-- Cumberland = 40.6C in 1942
-- Barriere = 40.6C in 1938
-- Woods Lake = 40.6C in 1925
12)Revelstoke = 104F/ 40.1C in 2015
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