Fifteen weather stats that define April in Canada
For some, April brought more than its usual cruelty. For others, the month has been a boon.
April can often be a cruel weather month, with temperature inequality brewing across the country. As Toronto struggles to attain a single day above 15°C, parts of B.C. record weeks above that threshold.
In just the past few weeks, April has lived up to the expectations of being a tumultuous weather month, filled with extreme weather and obvious favouritism by Mother Nature.
1. TORONTO HAS YET TO HIT 15°C
Toronto has yet to record a temperature of 15°C during April and it's entering uncharted territory. To make matters worse, March featured three days above 15°C for the city. Time is quickly winding down to end this chilly streak, and the long-range forecast doesn't give any confidence of attaining 15°C anytime soon.
2. YUKON HAS HAD MORE WARMTH THAN TORONTO
Yukon has recorded warmer temperatures than Toronto. Yes, it's true, Whitehorse recorded a temperature nearly three degrees warmer than Toronto during April.
If it's any consolation, Toronto, there are a few cities in Atlantic Canada in search of 15°C as well.
3. NORTHERN CANADA BREAKS PRESSURE RECORDS
Northern Canada shattered the record books with high-pressure readings, with astonishingly high pressure of 1070 Mb measured on April 2nd. The strong blocking in northern Canada has been highly effective at draining Arctic air into central Canada.
4. NORTHERN QUEBEC HAS SEEN EXTREME COLD LINGER
Specifically: Kuujjuaq, Que., recorded its latest -30°C on record on April 21st.
5. NEW ABOVE-GROUND COLD RECORD
On the morning of April 22nd, a weather balloon sounding from Buffalo, New York, measured a temperature of less than -20°C just a few kilometres above the surface, making it the coolest measured temperature at that altitude in late-April.
6. GERALDTON, ONT., SEES LATE EXTREME COLD
If you weren't impressed by the -20°C temperature aloft, those temperatures inevitably reached the surface on April 22nd in Geraldton, Ont., shattering the daily record by over seven degrees. For reference, the -20°C low is colder than the average low in December for the region.
7. LAKE ERIE WATER LEVELS SERIOUSLY ELEVATED
Lake Erie continues to hold onto significantly elevated water levels. Strong seiche events and shoreline flooding were common during the month. The lake is set to finish April above 175 m as an average water level, a first for the month.
8. WINNIPEG SEES HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IN 21 YEARS
Big April snows fell in the City of Winnipeg on April 2nd-3rd. 22 cm in total, making it the biggest April snow since April 1999.
9. YELLOW GRASS, SASKATCHEWAN, WARMEST TEMPERATURE IN CANADA
Finally, some mid-20-degree temperatures for Canada! On April 21st, Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan hit 25.5°C, unofficially the warmest temperature in Canada for the year so far. Yellow Grass currently holds Canada's warmest temperature on record at a sweltering 45°C.
10. ALBERTA SNOWIER AND COLDER THAN NORMAL
Remarkably cold and remarkably snowy for sections of Alberta during the first half of April, something that happens on average less than once in 50 years for some parts of the province.
11. CALGARY MORE THAN 200 DAYS BELOW 20°C
Calgary continues searching for an elusive 20°C. It's one of the longest stretches on record without hitting the 20°C mark, last hit September 23rd. Yes, over 200 days and counting now.
12. B.C. SEES RARE APRIL SNOW
Parts of the South Coast recorded rare April snow/graupel showers with a near-record cold air aloft destabilizing the atmosphere.
13. B.C.: LONGEST APRIL DRY STRETCH SINCE THE 1950S
It rained more in a few hours on April 22nd across parts of southern B.C. than the previous few weeks combined. This was the driest stretch since the 1950s, with some locations going more than two weeks without a drop of rainfall, such as the Comox Valley.
14. EARLY WILDFIRE EVACUATIONS
Unusual April wildfire activity across B.C. after several weeks of bone-dry weather. As a result, a 200-hectare fire ignited near Squamish, triggering early-season evacuation alerts.
15. PORT ALBERNI, B.C., ABOVE 15°C FOR 15 DAYS
Contrasting with Toronto's lack of 15°C weather, Port Alberni goes and manages the exact opposite, stringing together a formidable streak. The city attained fifteen straight days above the 15°C mark this April. A persistent ridge of high pressure meandered off the B.C. coast, gifting this province the only consistent warmth across Canada for the month.
