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Cooler summer predicted Below average temperatures in forecast after white stuff falls
Danielle Sachs
Northern News Services
Published Monday, July 8, 2013
IQALUIT
While Canada Day was warm and sunny for the parade, the morning of July 3 had a much different look to Iqalummiut.
The view outside was a carpet of white instead of the usual dusty streets for many residents waking up in the morning two days after the national holiday.
"I've seen snow in July, but never staying like this," said Iqaluit resident Helen Marshall.
"Last year, it was so nice and now it's raining and cold all the time."
David Phillips, a senior climatologist at Environment Canada, agrees that snow in July is not a rarity in Nunavut, but a consistent three hours of snow is very unusual.
"I've used it today to tell the Canadians that are complaining about their weather that there are places where it's still snowing," he said.
Weather forecasting and predictions are far from an exact science but, after using the current models, Phillips said it looks like Iqaluit is going to be in for a cooler than normal summer.
"Over Nunavut you were spoiled last year and many thought it was bad news," he said.
"In 65 years, it was the warmest summer on record and we did see temperature records broken. It's what I often say to southerners, some of those days are like having a 37 C day in Toronto when you're not used to them."
The month of June averaged about a degree colder than normal while last year averaged two degrees warmer than usual temperatures, said Phillips.
"People have short memories. We typically remember a year ago and that becomes the benchmark. This year hasn't been record cold but it seems that way in comparison to last year."
The rest of Canada seems to be suffering through heat wave after heat wave, with temperatures warmer than normal.
"The northern part of Hudson Bay and around Foxe Basin, that looks normal. Rankin Inlet, Baker Lake and up through the islands, it looks warmer than normal. Same with western Nunavut," said Phillips.
"But for Iqaluit, and along the eastern coast of Baffin Island, conditions do look like they're going to be colder."
The strangest past of the weather recently has been the amount of days where there has been traces of precipitation.
"It hasn't been wetter than normal but for June, nine out of the 30 days were dry," said Phillips.
"In a climate that's generally dry, that's not nice to see.
When it looks like it's going to rain it almost seduces you into not doing anything."
For the rest of the summer, Phillips advises people to take advantage of the warm sunny days.
"When you get a good day, go for it," said Phillips.
"Play hooky and take off sick, because you never know what's around the corner."
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