The recent cold snap and snowfall across the Southern Yukon broke some daily records for Whitehorse.
Based on data from Environment Canada taken from a station at the Whitehorse airport, records for the amount of snow on the ground for both Oct. 19 and 20 were broken with the October snow squall. Oct. 20 also saw a new lowest maximum temperature for that date.
The snow that starting falling on Wednesday Oct. 16 piled up through the start of the weekend leading the weather station to record 20 cm on the ground on Oct. 19. This doubled the previous Oct. 19 record of 10 cm set in 1990, according to Environment Canada meteorologist Ken Dosanjh.
There was less snow on the ground the following day but the 15 cm observed still exceeded the previous record of 13 cm for Oct. 20 set in 1992.
Oct. 20 also saw a record for the lowest maximum temperature on that date with a -7.6 C high. Dosanjh said the previous lowest maximum was -6.1C in 1970.
Dosanjh explained that the snow and cold came on the back of a flow of air from the north. He described the temperature and the amounts of snow recorded as “a little out of the ordinary” for this time of year but said the push of northerly air is not out of the ordinary for halfway through meteorological fall (the months of September, October and November). He said air currents have tendency to meander this time of year making forecasting more difficult than in other seasons.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com