21°c A few clouds
10°c Sunny
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Can we beat record for heat? That's no sweat
Warmest 12-month period in the last 140 years
John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press archives Nelson Hughes tries to beat the heat under the mister in Old Market Square at the end of July. (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store
Related Items
-
Articles
IT'S a record, folks. A hot, balmy, humid record.
According to David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada, Winnipeg has just set a record for the warmest 12-month period since weather records began being kept in the city 140 years ago.
From Aug. 1, 2011 to July 31, 2012, Winnipeg had an average temperature of 6 C, shattering the record of 5.6 C that stood since 1877.
"I looked at every combination of 12 months from September through August, January to December, March through to February. There never has been a warmer 12 months in your recorded history," Phillips said.
"It really does show you what a remarkable year you had."
Phillips also points out 6 C is much warmer than Winnipeg's median temperature of 2.6 C for a similar 12-month period.
"To see something that's almost 31/2 degrees warmer than normal for the whole year is quite something," Phillips said.
He found Winnipeg temperatures soared above 30 C during 14 days in July, a record only out-scorched by July 2006's record of 16 days.
It seems we're feeling a lot of hot air coming from more southern climes.
Phillips said patterns for that 12-month period showed an increase in jet streams from the south and far less frigid air from the north.
"Clearly what we're seeing is a lot more of the weather from the south and west, and less from the north. Arctic air is missing in action," Phillips said.
But the change could be a permanent one, said Dr. Danny Blair, the associate dean of science and director of the Climate Studies Institute at the University of Winnipeg.
"It's becoming very hard to not conclude that global warming is decidedly here, especially with the extreme events and the record runs like the one we've just experienced," said Blair.
"The averages are changing. We're still going to get some cold weather. We're always going to have ups and downs forever. But the probability of having really warm weather is much greater than it has been in the past."
Blair said weather patterns are largely determined by jet streams -- and these streams are affected when the patterns of the Earth's surface change.
"If the Earth's surface is different than it used to be, our weather systems are going to be different. And it all comes back to greenhouse-gas emissions," he said.
Blair pointed out the summer heat isn't the main reason we set a 12-month temperature record.
The key factor was our mild winter.
"Winnipeg has the nickname of 'Winterpeg.' We're going to lose that," he said.
"Winters have already changed enormously over the last 30 or 40 years. The patterns we've been seeing aren't the same as our parents and grandparents grew up with on the Prairies.
"We are relatively quickly losing the kind of winters that we're famous for. Winter is the season that has changed the most. The summers have lagged behind the most. They still are getting warmer, but not at the same rate as our winters."
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 9, 2012 B1
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 50 articles for today)
Liberal Senate leader argues Harper's office in contempt of Parliament
9:11 PM 0
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Rainfall warning issued for southern Manitoba
- A new mom's booze-fuelled hell
- Apple trick on Ellen falls short for city woman
- Male facing charges after gun fired in Exchange District
- Power restored to Linden Woods after goose collides with lines
- Justin Bieber's pet monkey becomes property of Germany after singer misses deadline
- Gay Archie character to kiss partner in Pop Tate's
- Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris evacuated after suicide inside the landmark church
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Rainfall warning issued for southern Manitoba
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Driver crashes into tree near golf course
- Arrests made after raids on local head shops
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Susan Griffiths dies in Switzerland
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Police make grow-op bust
- Nearly 10 years after devolution, Southern Authority hasn’t created its own standards
- Bethania CEO put on leave during investigation
- Power restored to Linden Woods after goose collides with lines
- Man breaks world record by riding Ferris wheel at Chicago's Navy Pier for more than 48 hours
- Tornado leads CBS to pull season-ending episode of 'Mike & Molly'
- Doc's memoir portrays ERs as frantic, funny, frightening ... but never dull
- WAG's 100 Masters exhibit drawing more than art aficionados
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Fans' patience is rewarded at last: 'Arrested Development' will be reborn Sunday on Netflix
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Marsh Madness: Photographers Fred Greenslade and Joe Bryksa capture spring migration's grandeur at Delta Marsh
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Province removing red tape in alcohol sales
- Animals are animals, new ads say
- Skin picking gets status as distinct disorder, should help sufferers access help
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Manitoba's changing spiritual landscape
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Dogs can experience separation anxiety and depression just like humans
- Paul McCartney to play Winnipeg Aug. 12
- Ontario steps in to help save ELA
- Saskatchewan professor wants to test the health benefits of nose-picking
- 'Revenge of the redheads': Ginger-haired Montrealers gather in celebration
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Retail sales in province see 2 per cent increase in February
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.