90 day temperature graph for Winnipeg showing temperature anomalies from Dec 1st to Feb 28th. Only 18 days this winter have been below normal. February 2012 will end on a mild and quiet note in southern MB, with highs this afternoon just slightly below freezing under partly sunny skies. February will finish with an average temperature near -10C in Winnipeg, about 3.5C above normal. Together with a very mild December and January, the winter of 2011-12 will go into the record books as the 4th mildest winter in Winnipeg since records began 140 years ago in 1872. (Note: "Winter" is defined as the 3 month period of Dec, Jan and Feb) This winter will finish with an average temperature of -9.7C, almost 6C above normal and just 0.2C below the third warmest winter of 1986-87 (-9.5C) February also marks the 8th consecutive month that has averaged above normal in Winnipeg, extending a streak that began last July.
Note also that Winnipeg has yet to hit the -30C mark this winter, with the lowest temperature so far of -28.9C (recorded on Jan 18th and Feb 10th). If the -30C mark isn't reached this month, it would be the first winter in over 70 years and only the second time in Winnipeg's history that the city has failed to drop to -30C or lower during the winter. The only other winter with a non -30C temperature between November and March was the winter of 1930-31, with an extreme minimum temperature of -29.4C on Feb 9th.
Top 5 warmest winters in Winnipeg (since 1872)
1. 1877-78 ............. -7.2C
2. 1997-98 ............. -8.2C
3. 1986-87 ............. -9.5C
4. 2011-12 ............. -9.7C
5. 1930-31 ............ -10.1C
Normal winter average .... -15.3C (1971-2000 normal)
Well, now that winter is over, bring on a early thunderstorm season LOL!!
ReplyDeleteSome Tornadoes struck the states last night, some hit populated areas. Yet the threat still continues today!
ReplyDeleteDeath toll from those storms up to 9 now..
ReplyDeleteRob or anyone else, perhaps you have more experience than me, which is why I ask this because I don't. I was just wondering if all these tornadoes are a little early in the year? I heard there was an EF 4 this morning, I wasn't sure what to think, is it unusually early or not?
ReplyDeleteThanks
Or even, if these severe storms are a little farther north than normal for this time of year? I was surprised to see severe storms in Nebraska yesterday.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous.. It's a little unusual for violent tornadoes as far north as Nebraska this early.. but February tornadoes are not uncommon in the southern US, especially across the southern Mississippi valley. The first tornado death in the US last year was in Tennessee on Feb 28th. Four years ago, there was a bad February tornado outbreak on Feb 5 2008 that killed over 50 people through Arkansas and Tennessee. The tornado season will only ramp up over the next few weeks as we get warmer and more humid air moving up from the deep south, while cool winter air remains in the north, and strong westerly jet stream winds bring storms across the US.
ReplyDeleteAh thanks Rob. That answers it perfectly
ReplyDeleteHey guys if your interested click my name for a few links from my blog on the severe weather in the states. I'll be adding more as the days go on.
ReplyDeleteModerate risk issued again for tomorrow. Could be another tornado outbreak!
ReplyDeleteHi Rob,Igotta say I love your site!!I clean snow in the Peg and do mud work in the summer.Any chance you could gimme a heads up as to what you think our spring-summer will look like this year as far as wet?dry?I appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteanonymous.. thanks for your comments! Glad you enjoy the blog..
ReplyDeleteAs for what the upcoming spring or summer will be like.. I really can't say. It's too tough to make an accurate forecast that far out, so I'd rather be truthful and admit that, rather than hazard a guess. I prefer just giving weather info on the next few days out to a week or so.
This much we know.. things have been dry since last summer, and we're running a precipitation deficit going into the spring. So there's some concern that we'll be in drought conditions to start the growing season. But things can change quickly around here.. a couple of years ago we were very dry in April with grass fires, then May came in with flooding rains and the rest of the summer was wet. Last year was the opposite.. we were wet in the spring, then summer went bone dry. Precipitation forecasting is one of the most challenging aspects of meteorology.
I can appreciate that. Thanks alot.Ill just keep checking out your site to plan my jobs this summer.Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteWhere did the data come from to determine ranking of various winters?
ReplyDelete