Victoria's Fall of 2018: slightly warmer and drier than nomal

November 30 marked the end of meteorological fall (September, October, and November), so it's time to take a look back at the fall of 2018 in Victoria.  Overall, the summer was slightly drier and warmer than normal.  This was due to warmer and drier than normal conditions in October and November, since September was actually slightly cooler and wetter than normal.

Victoria received 186 mm of rain during the September to November period at Victoria Gonzales.  That's about 18% less than the 30-year average fall rainfall of 226 mm.  Rainfall was actually a bit above normal in September (28 mm in 2018 vs. the average 24 mm).  However, this was followed by a drier than average October (50 mm vs. 72 mm) and November (108 mm vs. 130 mm).  

There were 39 days with measurable precipitation this fall, with 11 days in September, 13 days in October, and 15 days in November.  That's actually slightly above the 37 days with measurable rainfall that Victoria typically receives during the fall (7 days in September, 12 days in October, and 19 days in November).  

The chart below shows daily rainfall during fall 2018, and compares the cumulative rainfall with the 30-year average.  September and early October were slightly wetter than normal.  This was followed by a two-week dry spell during the middle of October.  The end of October and beginning of November was the wettest period of the fall, with  nearly half of Victoria's fall rainfall this year being recorded over a 9-day stretch from October 27 to November 4.  This period included the wettest single day of the fall: 19.6 mm on November 1.  The remainder of November was a little drier than normal.

Daily & Cumulative Rainfall in Victoria, Fall 2018

The chart below compares the rainfall amounts in Victoria this fall with other locations in the regions.  As is typically the case, Victoria Gonzales had the lowest amount, with a total of 186 mm.  Victoria Airport had 280 mm mm of rain throughout the fall, about 50% more than Victoria Gonzales.  It was wetter still in Vancouver, with 425 mm at the Vancouver Airport and 552 mm at Vancouver Harbour - nearly 3 times what Victoria received.  By comparison, it was relatively dry in Seattle, with 260 mm.  That's less than Victoria Airport received, but still about 40% more rainfall than Victoria Gonzales.  

Fall 2018 Rainfall

The mean temperature this fall at Victoria Gonzales was 11.4 degrees, warmer than the 30-year average of 11.0.  Fall 2018 was tied for the 21st warmest in 105 years of record-keeping at Gonzales, so only about 1 in 5 falls have been warmer.  (Fall 1987 was the warmest on record, at 12.3 degrees.)  September 2018 was actually a bit cooler than average (14.3 degrees vs. the average 14.6).  However, both October and November were warmer than average.  In October it was 11.2 degrees vs. the average 10.9, while in November it was 8.7 vs. the average 7.5 degrees.  November was the 14th warmest on record at Victoria Gonzales (going back 105 years).  

The chart below shows the daily maximum and minimum temperatures at Victoria Gonzales during fall 2018, compared with the 30-year averages.  You can see that September was generally a bit cooler than average, while October and November were both a bit warmer than average.  The warmest day of the fall was 23.3 degrees on September 5, although it also reached 23.1 degrees on September 28, which was a greater anomaly from the average (which is 17.5 degrees for that date).  The coolest temperature was 2.7 degrees on November 19.

Daily Max & Min Temperatures in Victoria, Fall 2018

Victoria's Summer of 2018: warmer and drier than average

August 31 marks the end of meteorological summer (June, July, and August), so it's time to take a look back at the summer of 2018 in Victoria.  Overall, the summer was drier and warmer than normal.

Victoria has dry summers, averaging just 52 mm of rain during the June to August period at Victoria Gonzales.  This year, summer was particularly dry, with just 21 mm of rain.  That makes it the 8th driest summer in the past 105 years.  (The driest summer on record was 1970, with just 10.5 mm of rain.)  In 2018, rainfall in June was actually close to average (18.6 mm vs. the average 20 mm), but that was followed by an extremely dry July and August.  There was no rainfall recorded at Victoria Gonzales during July (the sixth time that has happened).  August was also very dry, with just 2.0 mm of rain (all of which fell during a one-hour rainshower on August 11).  August 2018 was the 13th driest on record at Victoria Gonzales, so only about 1 in 8 Augusts have been drier.  This year is notable because the combined July-August rainfall of 2.0 mm was the lowest on record.  Interestingly, the second driest July-August on record was 2017, with 2.2 mm, so we have experienced back to back records for dry July-August periods.

There were 8 days with measurable precipitation this summer, with 7 of those days falling in June.  Victoria typically receives 15 days with measurable rainfall during the summer month (7 in June and 4 each in July and August).  

The chart below shows daily rainfall during summer 2018, and compares the cumulative rainfall with the 30-year average.  June was fairly typical in terms of rainfall, but that was followed by a 41-day stretch with no measurable rainfall from July 1 to August 10.   That's a little longer than the typical drought period that Victoria receives each summer, which averages 28 days.  The only rainfall during the July-August period came during a one-hour rainshower on August 11.  After that, there was no measurable rainfall for the remainder of the month.

Daily & Cumulative Rainfall in Victoria, Summer 2018

The chart below compares the rainfall amounts in Victoria this summer with other locations in the regions.  As is typically the case, Victoria Gonzales had the lowest amount, with a total of 20.6 mm.  Victoria Airport had 27.4 mm of rain throughout the summer, about one third more than Victoria Gonzales.  Although this summer was also drier than normal in Vancouver, it still had about 3 times as much rainfall as Victoria (67 mm at Vancouver Harbour), which is pretty typical.  Rainfall in Seattle was also well below average this summer, and it received just slightly more rain (22.4 mm) than Victoria.   June accounted for the majority of rainfall this summer in all locations.  If you look at just July and August, the difference between Victoria and the other locations is even more stark.  Victoria Gonzales received 2 mm of rain during July and August versus about 6 mm in Seattle and 20 mm in Vancouver.  

Summer 2018 rainfall by month

The mean temperature for June, July, and August at Victoria Gonzales was 16.0 degrees, warmer than the 30-year average of 15.6.  Summer 2018 was tied for the 13th warmest in 105 years of record-keeping at Gonzales, so only about 1 in 8 summers have been warmer.  (Summer 2015 was the warmest on record, at 16.9 degrees.)  June's mean temperature of 14.5 degrees was right on the average.  July's mean of 17.1 degrees was a full degree above the average while August's mean of 16.5 degrees was just 0.2 degrees above average.  This summer, and especially this July, was considered a hot one in Victoria.  However, Victoria Gonzales didn't really experience any extremely hot temperatures.  The warmest maximum during the summer was just 27.2 degrees on August 14 (and the warmest Victoria Gonzales reached in July was just 26.4 degrees).  In fact, the hottest day of the summer this year (27.2) was the 10th coolest on record at Victoria Gonzales, and the coolest since 1982 (that's 36 years).  Typically, the warmest day of the summer at Victoria Gonzales is around 30 degrees.

The chart below shows the daily maximum and minimum temperatures at Victoria Gonzales during summer 2018, compared with the 30-year averages.  While daytime highs during the first half of June were cooler than average, the rest of the summer was mostly above average, though as noted above, there were no extremely warm temperatures.  Overnight lows were quite consistently close to average or slightly warmer than average.

Average daily max & min temperatures in Victoria, Summer 2018

A warm and dry July in Victoria

July is typically the driest month of the year in Victoria, and this year it was particularly dry: there was no  measurable rainfall recorded at Victoria Gonzales during the entire month.  This is actually the 6th rain-free July at Victoria Gonzales, the others being 1914, 1922, 1926, 1958, and 1984.  There have also been another 6 Julys with less than 1 mm of rain recorded.

It was a dry month throughout the region, but most other locations outside Victoria recorded at least some rain, including the University of Victoria (0.9 mm), the Victoria Airport (2.2 mm), Vancouver Airport (5.4 mm), Vancouver Harbour (14.2 mm), and Seattle (1.3 mm).

July was also warmer than average in Victoria.  The mean temperature of 17.1 was more than a full degree above the 30-year average of 16.0, and it tied for the 7th warmest July at Victoria Gonzales.    The warmest July was 17.8 degrees in 2004.  The average daily maximum/minimum temperatures for July 2018 were 21.8/12.4 compared with the normal 20.4/11.7.  Although there was a lot of talk about an extended heat wave in the region this July, it never really got that hot along the water in Victoria.  The warmest temperature recorded at Victoria Gonzales for the month was 26.4 degrees, which is below the average monthly maximum temperature for July of 27.9 degrees.

Temperatures were considerably warmer in other parts of the region.  The mean temperature at the Victoria Airport was 18.3 degrees ( with a daily max/min of 24.3/12.4).  At the University of Victoria, the July mean temperature was 18.6 (25.5/11.7).  The table below shows the average daily maximum temperature for July 2018 at a number of locations around the region.  The official Environment Canada weather stations are bolded; the other stations are from the Victoria Schoolnet weather stations.  Average temperatures ranged from a cool 19 degrees at Trial Island lightstation (just off south Oak Bay) to a toasty 27.5 degrees at Butchart Gardens, near Brentwood Bay in Central Saanich. 

Average Daily Maximum Temperature - July 2018

Canadian Climate Comparison: What are the sunniest cities in Canada?

After comparing temperature and precipitation in the 41 largest urban areas in Canada (those with at least 100,000 population), we'll now look at sunshine.

The chart below ranks the average annual hours of sunshine in the 41 largest cities in Canada, from highest to lowest.  The 7 sunniest cities are all located in the southern Prairies, but with 2,198 annual hours, Victoria comes in a very respectable 8th place out of the 41 cities.  Put another way, Victoria gets more sunshine than 82% of Canada's urban population.

Victoria is by far the sunniest of the British Columbia cities included in the ranking: Kamloops, the next sunniest B.C. city, ranks 16th out of 41, while Kelowna in the "sunny Okanagan" ranks 28th.  The other coastal B.C. cities are all near the bottom of the ranking, taking up the 37th through 40th spots.  Only St. John's Newfoundland ranks lower in terms of annual sunshine.  The difference between Victoria and the other coastal B.C. cities is striking, and again points to the importance of the Olympic Mountain rainshadow in impacting Victoria's climate.

Average Annual Sunshine Hours for Urban Areas in Canada

As with precipitation, seasonal variations are also important in comparing Canadian cities.  The chart below ranks summer (June to August) sunshine hours in Canadian cities.  Victoria moves up to rank as the third sunniest summer, after Lethbridge and Regina.  Victoria has sunnier summers than 97% of Canada's urban population.  Though well behind Victoria, the other coastal B.C. cities fare better on summer sunshine than they do on annual sunshine, with Nanaimo in 24th and Vancouver in 29th.  Cities in Atlantic Canada hold the bottom 4 spots.

Average Summer Sunshine Hours for Urban Areas in Canada

In addition to having the 3rd sunniest summers among Canadian cities, Victoria ranks as the 8th sunniest for both springs and falls.  Winter, however, is quite different.  The chart below ranks winter (December to February) sunshine hours for Canadian cities.  The top 10 sunniest winter cities include a mix of cities in the Prairies, as well as New Brunswick and Quebec.  Victoria ranks a lowly 33rd, although that is still better than any of the other B.C. cities, which fill the bottom 6 spots.  It might surprise some that Kelowna - in the "sunny Okanagan" - has the cloudiest winters among Canadian cities, but B.C.'s Interior valleys are very prone to low cloud and fog in the winter.   

Average Winter Sunshine Hours for Urban Areas in Canada

Canadian Climate Comparison: which cities get the most and least rainfall?

In the last post, we compared temperatures in the 41 largest urban areas in Canada (those with 100,000 or more people).  In this post, we'll compare precipitation amounts.

The chart below compares average annual precipitation in the 41 largest cities in Canada, ranked from lowest to highest.  The driest city is Kamloops, in the B.C. Interior, with an average of 287 mm annually.  The remaining top 10 driest urban areas in Canada are mostly in the Prairies, along with two more B.C. cities: Kelowna and Victoria.  People are often surprised that Victoria ranks so high among the driest cities in Canada.  Putting this another way, Victoria gets less annual precipitation than nearly 82% of Canada's urban population.  Victoria's low rainfall is thanks to rainshadowing, from both the mountains on Vancouver Island and from the Olympic Mountains in Washington State.  The wettest of the 41 cities is Chilliwack, followed by Vancouver and Abbotsford.  St. John's and Halifax round out the top 5 wettest cities in Canada.  It's striking that cities in Coastal B.C. occupy the top 3 spots for the wettest urban areas in Canada, while nearby Victoria ranks as the 10th driest out of the 41 cities.

Average Annual Precipitation for Urban Areas in Canada

Seasonal variations in precipitation are also important when comparing Canadian cities.  The chart below ranks summer (June to August) precipitation for Canada's cities.  With just 52 mm of rainfall, Victoria is by far the driest urban area in Canada during the summer.  The next driest city - Kamloops - gets nearly 70% more summer rainfall than Victoria, most cities outside of B.C. - such as Calgary, Toronto, or Montreal - get 4 to 5 times as much summer rainfall as Victoria.  The top 6 driest summer cities are all in B.C. - 4 on the coast and 2 in the Interior.  This really shows the impact of the seasonal variation of precipitation in Coastal B.C.  While we just saw that Vancouver ranks as the second wettest city in terms of total annual precipitation, it is the 5th driest city in Canada in terms of summer precipitation.  The wettest summers tend to be in Atlantic Canada and Quebec.

Average Summer Precipitation for Urban Areas in Canada

Victoria also has relatively dry springs - ranking as the 9th driest among Canadian cities.  Fall precipitation in Victoria is closer to the average, with the city ranking as the 17th driest out of 41 cities.  Winter is a different story.  The chart below ranks winter (December to February) precipitation for Canadian cities.  Saskatoon has the driest winters among Canadian cities, with just 37 mm of precipitation.  The top 10 driest winter cities are all located in the Prairies, the B.C. Interior, or Northwestern Ontario.  Victoria ranks as the 31st driest winter city (or the 11th wettest), with 264 mm of precipitation.  The top 5 wettest winter cities are exactly the same as the top 5 wettest cities overall, with Chilliwack in first place with a whopping 659 mm.

Average Winter Precipitation for Urban Areas in Canada

Canadian climate comparison: what is the mildest city in Canada?

This is the first in a series of posts comparing various aspects of climate for locations across Canada, in order to see how Victoria compares.

There are a lot of locations in Canada, so I am focusing on urban areas, where the majority of Canada's populations lives.  I collected climate data for urban areas (Census Metropolitan Areas) with a population of at least 100,000 according to the 2016 Census.  There were 41 such urban areas in 2016, accounting for about 73% of Canada's total population.

This first post is comparing temperatures across Canada.  We'll start by looking at the mean annual temperature for each location.  The chart below ranks Canada's urban areas by mean annual temperature.  Not surprisingly, Victoria ranks first, with a mean annual temperature of 10.6 degrees.  It is followed by Vancouver.  The top 10 includes 5 cities in coastal B.C., 4 cities in Southern Ontario, as well as Kamloops in the B.C. Interior.  The coldest cities are generally those in the Prairies.

Mean Annual Temperature for Urban Areas in Canada

Of course, these annual comparisons mask a lot of seasonal variations among the different cities, so let's look at some of the seasonal rankings.

The chart below compares the mean winter temperature for urban areas in Canada.  This is the mean temperature for December, January and February - which is meteorological winter.  In this case, the coastal B.C. cities really stand out: they are significantly milder than any other locations in Canada.  Victoria's mean winter temperature of 5.8 degrees - the mildest in Canada - is more than 8 degrees warmer than the mildest Canadian city east of the coastal mountains (Chatham, Ontario, with a mean winter temperature of -2.5 degrees).  Even the coolest coastal B.C. city - Chilliwack - is nearly 6 degrees warmer than the warmest city in the rest of Canada.  The top 10 mildest winter cities in Canada include the coastal B.C. cities making up the top 5 spots, as well as two cities in the B.C. Interior, 2 cities in Southern Ontario, and Halifax.  Again, the coldest cities tend to be in the Prairies.

Mean Winter Temperature for Urban Areas in Canada

Victoria also ranks as the warmest Canadian City during meteorological spring (March to May), and the third warmest city during fall (September to November), after Chatham and Windsor in southwestern Ontario.  However, the situation is very different during the summer (June to August), as can be seen in the chart below.  Victoria is the fourth coolest urban area in Canada during the summer: only Calgary, Red Deer, and St. John's are cooler on average.  The top 10 warmest summer cities in Canada include 8 Southern Ontario cities, along with Montreal and Kamloops.

Mean Summer Temperature for Urban Areas in Canada

A brief look at June 2018

I'm a little behind on the blog, so I'm just going to take a brief look at June 2018. 

June was actually pretty close to average this year.  The rainfall at Victoria Gonzales was 18.6 mm, close the the 30-year average of 20.0 mm.  There was measurable precipitation on 6 days in June, again pretty close to the average of 6.8 days. 

While rainfall was very close to average at Victoria Gonzales, other locations around the region recorded somewhat lower than average rainfall amounts (though they still all received more rainfall than Victoria Gonzales).  The Victoria Airport received 23.6 mm of rain in June, below its 30-year average of 30.6 mm.  Vancouver Airport received 38.8 mm, while Vancouver Harbour received 47.8 mm - both below the 30-year average of 54 mm and 70 mm respectively. 

The mean temperature in June was 14.5 degrees, which is right on the 30-year average.  The mean daily maximum for the month was 18.4 degrees, just below the average of 18.5, while the mean daily minimum for the month was 10.6, just above the average of 10.4 degrees.  The warmest temperature of the month was 25.4 degrees, while the coolest temperature was 8.2 degrees.  Again, these are quite typical values for June.