Wettest August in decades in Dawson City, northwestern Canada
If you thought last month was pretty wet in Dawson City, western Yukon — you’re right.
It was the rainiest August in 54 years.
According to Environment Canada’s senior climatologist David Phillips, it was the town’s third-wettest August since records began in 1897.
“In total, about 92 millimetres of rain. In an average August, you’d see about 43 millimetres, so we’re dealing with something more than twice the amount of rain,” said Phillips.
“It wasn’t all in one ‘gully washer,'” he said.
Phillips says Dawson’s wet weather was spread over 18 days in August, instead of the usual 13.
Wet days further south, too
But Phillips says “the trophy for weather misery” last month in Yukon goes to Carmacks, in southern Yukon.
“They had 73 millimetres of rain […] but they had 25 wet days,” he said.
“What was outstanding to me was […] in the last 13 days, they’ve had rain on every one of those days.”
Carmacks mayor Lee Bodie says some locals lamented the wet weather, but he reminded them it meant no forest fires.
Plus, he says, it didn’t seem to affect tourism.
“Most of the tourists were happy to see the rain, because most of them come from drought states or hot weather and they were happy for the cool, wet weather for a change,” he said.
Bodie says the rain did not have a major impact on summer road work in the community.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Homes destroyed, highway temporarily closed by wildfire in Northern Canada, CBC News
Finland: Finland’s drought ends with violent storms, YLE News
Norway: Arctic Europe’s July records melted under extreme temperatures, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Forest fires are raging across the Barents region, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Hot, arid summer guts a third of Sweden’s cereal harvest, Radio Sweden
United States: Rapid Arctic warming is increasing the frequency of blizzards in U.S. Northeast: study, Radio Canada International
