Record-setting precipitation and extended dry weather were some of the climate highlights from 2022. (File Photo)

By Jordan Davidson

wild weather

Top Stories of 2022: A year of record-setting weather

Dec 28, 2022 | 11:11 AM

NANAIMO — Extended winters, record-setting rainfall, and a summer season which extended well into the fall rounded out some of our wild weather stories for 2022.

January of 2022 started off much like how 2021 ended, with large dumps of snow causing schools and ferries to cancel, and making travel on the roads treacherous.

At least 20 centimetres fell at the Nanaimo airport at the start of Jan, which forced Canada Post to suspect mail delivery service for much of Vancouver Island, Metro Vancouver, and the Fraser Valley.

On Jan. 1, 13.4 centimetres of the white stuff fell, good for a new daily record. Then four days later on Jan. 5, 49.2 centimetres of snow fell, which was the second-highest amount of snow to fall in Nanaimo on a single day.

Into Spring

no snow

Chances of a white Christmas for Nanaimo 'quite remote'

9h ago

vehicle damage

Over 40 vehicles damaged during late-night Nanaimo vandalism spree

16h ago

rising costs

RDN taxpayers want relief as board grapples with budget

20h ago

Once the snow melted and winter seemed to be finally behind us, spring picked up the precipitation slack.

April turned out to be another record-breaking month weather-wise, with 164.8 millimetres of rain being measured at the Nanaimo Airport, making it the wettest April in 130 years.

Dubbed ‘the eternal spring’ by a few, the forecast was a bit of a mixed bag for spring, with a combination of rain, snow, hail, and driving winds on any given day in April.

Too much moisture and not enough sun started to worry farmers in May, as it was simply too wet to get the field ready for planting.

Record-setting rain in the fall of 2021 along with snowfalls early on in 2022 helped set the stage for what felt like a very long-lasting and wet spring season.

Summer

Forecasters called for a La Nina pattern for much of coastal B.C. which causes much cooler ocean temperatures, directly impacting coastal communities.

Springs wet and cooler weather extended a bit into June, but by mid-July, the heat had finally hit Nanaimo.

While it wasn’t as intense as the summer heat dome of 2021, Environment Canada did send out their first heat warning of the year on July 25th, as temperatures remained steady in the low to mid 30’s.

The heat and dry weather continued well into August, once again smashing more records. With an average daily temperature of 20.8 degrees, Nanaimo blew past our average of 18.2 degrees, with records going back to the late 1800’s.

Meteorologist with Environment Canada Doug Lundquist said not only was August hot, but it was also exceptionally dry.

“It was the third driest August ever with just around one millimetre (of rain) when you usually get 28 millimetres. Very extraordinary weather.”

Fall

The heat didn’t end just because the calendar changed to autumn, as daytime highs and overnight lows averaged out to 12.3 degrees at the Nanaimo Airport in October, making it the second warmest on record for that month.

Above-normal daytime highs weren’t just limited to Nanaimo.

Qualicum Beach Airport set new daytime temperature records 13 of the first 17 days of the month, however, their data collection only dates back to 1962.

Both Comox Valley and Campbell River also set records for the warmest October ever.

Winter

Once the hot weather finally broke, the needle made a sharp plunge in the opposite direction.

A sharp contrast from November 2021, which ended up being the wettest fall in Nanaimo’s history, November 2022 was dry and cool.

When it comes to precipitation, Meteorologist with Environment Canada Alyssa Charbonneau said the Nanaimo region received about half of its normal amount of rain or snow for the month.

“99.4 millimetres was recorded compared to an average of 197.2 (millimetres). While it doesn’t make a top ten finish, it is coming in at about 50 per cent of what you’d normally expect to see in terms of precipitation for the month of November.”

The majority of the precipitation came in the form of a strong rain and wind storm on Nov. 4 which knocked out power for upwards of 40,000 BC Hydro customers.

The winterly weather hit at full speed in December, with multiple snowfall warnings kicking the month off.

Just as the mid-Island was cleaning up for the first storm, another winter storm hit the Island causing ferry’s to be cancelled, additional warming centres being opened to serve the unhoused population and warnings from Nanaimo and Oceanside to stay off the roads.

One for the record books

And to finish off the year, Environment Canada released their list of top weather events of 2022, with a number of mid-Island storms making the cut.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

info@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @NanaimoNewsNOW