It is warmer and drier than normal in the Cariboo.
Derek Lee, a Meteorologist with Environment Canada, says it is expected to hit 4 degrees in Quesnel today. (Wednesday)
Lee says that would be 5 or 6 degrees normal than normal for mid-December, but still nowhere near record territory.
“The average high we usually see at this time of year would be a high of -2 and a low of -10. When we start to see temperatures in the positive for this time of year it’s definitely trending to warm and in terms of record breaking, to break a coldest record for this week would have to be -40 degrees back in 1964 and the warmest record would be plus 15 degrees back in December 17th, 1900.”
Lee says the Cariboo typically gets a lot more snow as well.
“We generally see around 38 to 40 millimetres in terms of liquid equivalent for precipitation. So far this month we’ve got anywhere between 6 to 10 millimetres, so definitely only 10 to 20 percent of what is normal right now.”
Lee says there is still plenty of month left however, and he does expect at least some snow to come.
“For this week itself we are looking at getting 2 to 4 centimetres by the time we end on Sunday, and leading up to Christmas it looks like there is a few more storms in store for the Cariboo coming close to December 25th, so I would bet there could be a bit more snow falling the week before Christmas as well.”
Lee says there isn’t much on the ground though, and with warmer temperatures this week he expects some of that to melt.
He says this weather is typical however in an El Nino year.
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