While summer snowfall may seem unusual for southern Canadians, the North is well-equipped to withstand the snow expected to fall this week.
The weather network forecast wet snow for parts of Nunavut on Wednesday night, as rainfall increases and temperatures are colder than usual.
Iqaluit, Igloolik, Repulse Bay and Kugaaruk are some of the areas in Northern Canada that are experiencing low pressure that is likely to cause temperatures to drop 2 to 5 degrees above normal overnight. According to Travel Nunavut, the temperature in August can drop to 2 degrees Celsius in some territories. However, Environment Canada meteorologist Sarah Hoffman said if it snows, it will likely disappear as quickly as it arrives.
“We’re looking at temperatures above zero in Iqaluit, so it’s going to be really hard for the snow to accumulate and persist,” she told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Wednesday.
While it seems unusual to see snowfall so early this time of year, especially since Canada has experienced warmer-than-normal weather recently, Hoffman said there’s always a chance of snow in colder parts of the country. country.
“Calgary has reported snow every month of the year; June, July and August all have snow leopards. So it’s not uncommon for snow to happen even in the summer in Canada,” she said.
While Farmer’s Almanac earlier this month predicted that Canada is expected to see record cold temperatures this winter, David Phillips, senior climatologist at Environment Canada, said the events One-time events such as previous snowfall are not indicative of what the coming seasons will be. alike.
“It doesn’t tell you what’s available in store for us. It could be early winter, it could be late winter but that’s definitely not dominated by snow that’s showing up in the high Arctic,” Phillips told CTVNews.ca Wednesday in a phone interview.
Environment Canada reported warmer temperatures for much of the country in September, Phillips said, so there’s still time to enjoy the rest of the summer while also preparing for the colder months to come. .
“It’s a reminder of ‘you should get your snow tires on’, ‘you should put your stuff on that lawn.’ It’s nature’s way of reminding us a bit,” he said.
