It was an unprecedented year for warm weather in Quesnel, and especially Williams Lake.
Derek Lee, a Meteorologist with Environment Canada, says it was definitely a lot warmer than normal.
“Looking at Quesnel we are seeing an overall average from January to December 2023, an above average temperature anomaly of around 1.5 degrees, and Williams Lake a 2 degrees warmer than normal anomaly..”
Lee says it was the third warmest year on record for Quesnel, and those records go back into the 1890’s.
Williams Lake’s records started in 1961.
Lee says it was also drier than normal last year as well.
“For precipitation we saw a total of around 431 millimetres at Quesnel and the average was 536, which translates to being the 22nd driest year on record. Williams Lake saw around 329 millimetres and the usual would have been 451 millimetres, making it the 5th driest year on record.”
Lee says temperatures in 2024 have so far started off in the more seasonal range.
