Odd weather trends that had meteorologists bewildered in December
There are four standout moments across Canada in December 2022.
Join us for the countdown as we replay the highlights, or lowlights, depending on your perspective.
No. 4: Atlantic Canada snow shutout
The winter storm award usually goes to somewhere in Atlantic Canada every winter but the easy winter this year has been historic for some areas.
While Halifax, N.S., broke its record for the latest first snowfall, St. John’s, N.L., is getting out-snowed by Toronto and Vancouver, B.C., while Victoria has seen more than double.
St. John’s saw the least December snow since 1899.
Atlantic water temperatures are 2-3 degrees above normal, stretching from Cuba to Newfoundland.
The warm water has been the deal-breaker for some of the storms near 0°C along with unimpeded warmth migrating up the Atlantic coast.
No. 3: The great Windsor upset
Known as the banana belt of southern Ontario, Windsor is hardly a contender for the coldest region in the province.
Situated at the lowest latitude in Canada, Windsor often deals with extreme heat.
The unusual trajectory of Arctic air across the continent caused extreme cold to bypass the warm waters of the Great Lakes and reach extreme southern Ontario via the U.S. Midwest, out-chilling Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, Que.
No. 2: City of champions refuses to thaw
The fifth largest city in Canada is no stranger to brutal cold snaps, but right now, Edmonton is on a deep-freeze streak longer than any winning streak by the Oilers.
Over 22 days, the Oilers didn't lose a game from Feb. 20, 2001, to March 13, 2001.
When Saturday rolls around, it will have been 41 days since Edmonton pressed above the freezing mark, the longest streak since 1983.
The last time December stayed below freezing? December 2010. It's a rare affair, only happening five times in history.
If Edmonton doesn't reach freezing this weekend, there's a high chance the streak tallies over 50 days.
To make the story even more compelling, this past fall was the latest on record to hit a temperature below the freezing mark, waiting until Oct. 23.
No. 1: The City of Victoria dealt a severe winter blow
Victoria is cheekily famous for publishing flower counts, while the rest of Canada shivers.
On Dec. 19 and 20, the city received a massive snowstorm.
To date, Victoria's seasonal snowfall total of 54 cm is comparable to Toronto, Halifax and St. John's...combined.
Downtown locations recorded over 30 cm of snowfall, with some locations recording close to 40 cm. It's the most since the infamous blizzard of 1996 that dumped 64.5 cm of snowfall in a single day.
Although Canada is in the midst of a January thaw, we shouldn't let our guard down just yet. We know there’s plenty of wild winter weather left in the tank.
