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Heavy snow, rain highlights of otherwise average Nanaimo winter

Mar 1, 2018 | 6:18 PM

NANAIMO — It will go down as an average winter statistically, but there were pockets of extreme conditions that made a big impact on day-to-day life in Nanaimo.

Environment Canada Meteorologist Armel Castellan told NanaimoNewsNOW numbers don’t jump off the page when analyzing Nanaimo’s winter, but said each month had extreme weather.

“Even though the averages were hit both for temperatures and precipitation, you still have those events that happened throughout December, January and February.”

He said 60 cm of snow fell during the past three months, a bit above the 50 cm that usually hits the Harbour City. The average temperature was down half a degree to 3.0 C, while rainfall dipped a bit below average to 41 cm.

Castellan said 40 cm of snow fell at Nanaimo Airport in December, double the usual amount.

He noted rain was a dominant theme as it warmed up in January.

“Over 300 mm, and a lot of that fell near the end of the month, the 26th through 28th, we saw a very sizable atmospheric river, which brought over 100 mm of rain in two-and-a-half days.”

The late January downpour caused havoc on the mid-island, including localized flooding and a mud slide in Lantzville, which trapped a woman inside her vehicle.

A late season blast of winter saw 20 cm of snow hit Nanaimo in February, most of it falling Feb. 17.

As for the spring weather outlook, Castellan said to expect colder than normal temperatures for the next four-to-six weeks.

“It could last longer, but the signal loses its strength and La Nina has less and less of an influence as we get into the latter parts of April and May.”

He said it’s far too difficult to make long term rainfall predictions.

Last year saw the second wettest spring on record in Nanaimo, as an astounding 365 mm of rain pummeled the region last March through May.

 

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes