What were temperatures like during the past year?

someone123 · #1 Posted **Dec 30, 2019, 8:17 PM**

Since the year's just about over I thought it would be interesting to look at some Environment Canada weather data. I used the Halifax dockyard station. Here's how 2019 looked:

Average annual high: 11.7
Average annual low: 4.0
Annual average: 7.9
Warmest daily high: 34.4
Coldest daily high: -7.1
Warmest daily low: 18.7
Coldest daily low: -15.1

A preliminary chart:

It's interesting to see how the daily variability drops so much when going into springtime, while winter is all over the place. It was a below average winter for nightly lows but not highs. I suspect that 34.4 day (July 5) is a big outlier too. There are probably plenty of years when this station doesn't hit 30.

When the December 31 data comes in and I get some time I'd like to make a better chart with proper time markings.

someone123 · #2 Posted **Jan 2, 2021, 12:42 AM**

Guess this doesn't really need a new thread. Here's 2020, cross-posted from the Canada weather thread:

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

2020 EC weather data is in.

Here's a chart of daily highs for Halifax Dockyard, 1 dot per day, Y axis is temperature in degrees C:

Mean daily high: 12.7
Mean daily low: 5.1
Mean daily mean: 8.9

Highest high: 32.3
Lowest high: -7.9
Highest low: 19.8
Lowest low: -15.4

The number of days over 30 is much higher than expected but I haven't calculated an annual average for this station and EC hasn't published it either.

q12 · #3 Posted **Jan 2, 2021, 5:23 PM**

https://twitter.com/YHZ_Weather/stat...75839808581636

someone123 · #4 Posted **Jul 16, 2024, 7:43 PM**

It is a bit late and the data's still limited but the 2020 climate normals are being released. Here is Shearwater: https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climat...000&dispBack=0

I am surprised by how much warmer it is. It is 0.6 degrees warmer on average just over a 10 year time period. Shearwater now has year-round average highs above freezing and is a bit colder than downtown (~0.6 degrees colder than the Citadel, particularly in summer). The mean temperature in the city now is likely 8 degrees or higher, and Halifax is on the border between a continental and marine climate (-3 mean in coldest month).

This is a trailing indicator too, averaged around 2005 and already 4 years old, and the 2000's were a cold period that I don't think has happened since. The warming in 2024 might be more like 1-1.5 degrees over 1995 (the mean of the 2010 normal period; imagine fitting a line or curve to the old normals and then plotting where 2024 is).

You can also see data for Sable Island and it has become much warmer in winter. It almost has daily mean temperatures above 0 year round.

Keith P. · #5 Posted **Jul 16, 2024, 9:57 PM**

Good. Lower heating bills in winter.

MonctonRad · #6 Posted **Jul 17, 2024, 12:16 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Good. Lower heating bills in winter.

Higher air conditioning costs in the summer.

IanWatson · #7 Posted **Jul 17, 2024, 1:44 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Higher air conditioning costs in the summer.

And the cost of installing AC. I don't have it in the house but it's getting to the point where I won't be able to NOT have it on summer nights.

HarbingerDe · #8 Posted **Jul 17, 2024, 1:46 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Good. Lower heating bills in winter.

Bad. Worse storms and flooding. No more safe ice for winter skating. No more long duration ground freeze in winter to kill off the ticks. More severe hurricanes to further decimate our civil infrastructure on a regular basis.

The laundry list of reasons why climate change is bad, is thousands of times longer than what I can list off the top of my head.

Haliguy · #9 Posted **Jul 17, 2024, 2:53 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Good. Lower heating bills in winter.

Warm winters suck! Just dumb rain, so lame.

Keith P. · #10 Posted **Jul 17, 2024, 11:31 AM**

What a bunch...

Jstaleness · #11 Posted **Jul 17, 2024, 3:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haliguy

Warm winters suck! Just dumb rain, so lame.

I hate snow 1 day after we get it. Cold winter rain is miserable though isn't it?

Haliguy · #12 Posted **Jul 17, 2024, 4:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jstaleness

I hate snow 1 day after we get it. Cold winter rain is miserable though isn't it?

Would rather snow any day over rain in the winter. Rain ruines everything. At least you can ski, snowbroad, skate, snowshoe in the snow.

egb · #13 Posted **Jul 18, 2024, 12:01 PM**

I was looking for a similar thing the other day and found this list of annual mean temperatures at Shearwater interesting.

https://halifax.weatherstats.ca/char...re-yearly.html

The 2024 temperature is low since its in progress but it's been three straight years of a mean temperature of 8.8 which is quite a change from decades past. For comparison that is a bit higher than the 1991-2020 normal for Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I know its comparing just a few years to a few decades but it's an interesting sign of what our future looks like.

someone123 · #14 Posted **Jul 20, 2024, 8:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by egb

The 2024 temperature is low since its in progress but it's been three straight years of a mean temperature of 8.8 which is quite a change from decades past. For comparison that is a bit higher than the 1991-2020 normal for Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I know its comparing just a few years to a few decades but it's an interesting sign of what our future looks like.

Interesting link. Thanks for posting.

I lived in Halifax back in the 2000's and I remember around 2004 being a cold period (and when White Juan happened). It's funny to see just how much colder it was compared to more recent years. There was a significant difference between 2004 and 2006. I expected a smaller year-to-year variation for some reason.