A Canadian city's years-long streak of above zero temps
Meteorologist
Friday, February 16, 2018, 6:11 PM - Every day since February 7th, 2014, Victoria International Airport has measured a temperature above the freezing mark.
How does this tremendous streak of consecutive days stack up historically, and why is Victoria prone to such long stretches consistently above the freezing mark?
Read on.
Victoria is awarded the bronze medal at this point, but if a below freezing daily high isn’t recorded early next week, we’ll have to wait until next winter, which will add an additional 250+ days to this monstrous streak.
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Only two other stretches have surpassed this current time period, but the king was the 1970’s where the majority of the decade remained above the freezing mark!
Incredibly, from early 1973 until the end of 1978 the thermometer at YYJ recorded an above freezing temperature every single day.
But, this streak is in serious jeopardy.
I’ll show you why. Trouble is brewing, as the source of the air mass is downright frigid.
If you’re brave enough, Victoria, glance below and check out your source region of this next bout of Arctic air:
Well north of the Arctic Circle.
Now, luckily, the air will warm some as it descends the coastal valleys and higher elevations towards sea-level, but it’ll be by far the coldest air of 2018 and the entire winter season.
But, there’s one town on Vancouver Island that will receive the gold medal…
Do you want to be really impressed?
Look no further than Tofino, B.C.
After doing some digging, November 23rd 2010 was the last day that Tofino recorded a daily high temperature below the freezing mark.
Seven years, two months, and 25 days.
2643 days and counting.
This streak is likely to continue as temperatures are poised to hover a degree or two above freezing through Monday afternoon.
But, why is Victoria so prone to this prolonged stretches of mild conditions?
One word.
Water.
Victoria’s proximity to the Pacific, along with being adjacent to Georgia Strait and the Strait of Juan De Fuca keeps the ambient air temperature above freezing.
Many different wind directions blow off the mild waters of the nearby straits, with the air temperature often mirroring the temperature of the surrounding water which hovers between 6-8oC throughout the winter.
And, for fun, how do these streaks compare to other cities across the country?
