A spring which never seemed to end, combined with bonus summer through much of September and October, both made Environment Canada's list of top weather stories of the year. (NanaimoNewsNOW photos)

By Alex Rawnsley

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Wettest April in Nanaimo & extended summer make list of top weather events from 2022

Dec 21, 2022 | 11:37 AM

NANAIMO — Wild weather across the province has seen B.C. and central Vancouver Island feature prominently on a list of the top weather stories of 2022.

Environment Canada’s annual look back at the events of the past year was predictably topped by post-tropical storm Fiona’s wrath through the Maritimes, which left tens of thousands without power for weeks.

However, Environment Canada climatologist David Phillips said the Island’s prolonged winter was a sign of things to come.

“And then spring came and it was dark and dank and damp. It was absolutely incredible how miserable it was, Nanaimo had their wettest April since 1892.”

The “dank” conditions persisted into May and June too.

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Of the 15 days between May 29 and June 12, a total of 14 contained some level of measurable rainfall at the City of Nanaimo yard on Labieux Rd.

Similar numbers were recorded elsewhere, such as 23 of 30 rainy days in victoria between mid-May and mid-June.

By the time summer finally arrived, it wanted to make up for lost time with an extra lengthy stay.

Record high temperatures through much of August, September and into October was Environment Canada’s fourth biggest story of the year.

It was measured as the third warmest summer on record, almost 1.6 degrees Celcius above normal, with records dating back to 1947.

Phillips said it was a welcome return for the Nanaimo region after the sun essentially disappeared for much of the spring and early summer.

“It came back in mid-August until October. A Hawaiian dome, or Californian dome, it’s called different things. We had heat records being set in three provinces, eight (U.S.) states and three territories.”

More than 500 daily temperature records were set in 70 days over the same time span.

Lytton, destroyed by fire in 2021, again topped a list of nationwide hot spots with a temperature of 39.6 degrees in early September.

Rainfall was also at a minimum, with only a fraction of the normal falling during a typically wet stretch on the B.C. coast.

Finally for the region, the current cold snap snuck onto the list in the number nine position.

Extended wet stretches also drenched parts of Manitoba over the same spring months, which made Environment Canada’s list as the third biggest weather-related story of the year.

A rare “derecho” storm event, or an intense and widespread storm system which extends in a straight line, which passed through Ontario and Quebec took the number two spot.

Wind speeds notched nearly 200 kilometres per hour in some places, in addition to heavy rain, large hail and frequent lightning.

Eleven people died as a result, most from falling trees.

More on Environment Canada’s top stories of the year is available on their website.

— with files from Jon de Roo, 97.3 The Eagle

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