PEI has worst Winter in 42 years

     Here's a few photos to demonstrate what we've been through here on Prince Edward Island over the past week - now considered the worst winter since 1972.
     Be comforted - this will all be gone and things will be lovely here on Prince Edward Island this spring, summer and fall!

Above - my niece Marcy Jeffery took this photo this morning.

Above - Western Road (Rte. 2) near Wellington on Monday.  Photo cf. Facebook.

 

Above -Backroad Folkart "Olde Time's Garden House Museum"

roof cupola.  Photo by Shirley Jeffery

_____________________ 

     The University of Prince Edward Island's Climate Lab posted this article last week.  http://projects.upei.ca/climate/

A Winter Not Seen for 42 Years

Posted on March 27, 2014 at 9:31 pm by afenech

By Dr. Adam Fenech, Director, UPEI Climate Research Lab

     Last week PEI saw a “mini White Juan” storm that brought 48.5 centimetres (cm) of snow measured at Charlottetown airport.  White Juan refers to the brutal blizzard of February 19, 2004 nicknamed after Hurricane Juan, a storm that hit PEI on September 29, 2003 with wind gusts up to 140 km/h causing flooding, uprooting of trees and infrastructure damage in the Charlottetown Harbour. White Juan brought 120 km/h winds and 74.4 cm of snow at Charlottetown which remains the maximum 24-hour total since records began. Last week’s storm was a mini-version with lighter winds (98 km/h) and less snow, but it still reminds us of our vulnerability to extreme cold weather. Good preparations and planning helped PEI  emerge without too many tragedies this past week. Community leaders should be commended for their work in getting the message out to take this storm seriously.

     Last week’s storm seems to have been one of many during this particularly cold and stormy winter of 2014. Over the past thirty years, there has been a definite downward trend in the amount of snow that PEI has received, but not this winter. We have to go back 42 years to find a year with more snow. If we consider the snowfall months to be November, December, January, February and March, then this year’s snowfall has been about 417 cm of the white stuff, the most since 425 cm fell in 1972.  On average, the snowfall this winter season has been almost 60% more than the normal, or what is expected. This year’s snowfall has been particularly jarring as the past two winters have been very dry indeed. And yes, this winter has been colder than normal by almost 1.5 degrees Celsius.

     The winter of 1972 was a much different winter than this year’s. By the end of March, 1972 had 80 days of snowfall, while this year PEI has had only 47 days with snowfall. By the end of March, the winter of 1972 had many days of small snowstorms with none above 25 cm, while this year PEI has had four major snowstorms on December 22 (27 cm), January 22 (37.4 cm), February 19 (27.8 cm) and March 26 (48.5 cm). The winter of 1972 went on to have 531 cm of snow once the months of April and May were added to the total. I hope that the winter of 2014 does not have any more surprises for PEI.

      And before you curse the winter, after you have shovelled this recent back-breaking load of snow off your driveway, remember that a cold and snowy winter can be good for the environment and economy. Some PEI businesses enjoyed a financial boost thanks to the early winter weather in December 2013. Businesses that offer sleigh and wagon rides looked at this snowfall as an early Christmas present, as their sales figures jumped about 50 per cent over the previous December. Brookvale Ski Park opened before Christmas for the first time in at least 10 years and automobile towing businesses saw an increase of 20-30 per cent from normal due to the snow.

     Snow is also necessary for farmers.  The snow blankets the fields so that when it all melts in the spring, the fields are properly irrigated and ready for planting.  Certain crops such as the fruits and berries also need snow cover to provide insulation from extreme cold.  When these crops are exposed to the elements, they become vulnerable to frost which can kill the crop outright. If you hate mosquitoes, you should probably celebrate this awful winter as mosquito populations should be reduced by the severe cold, too. While a sustained cold snap won’t wipe out these pests, it can kill some larvae and slow the bugs’ spread.

      Note: Don Jardine and I have put together over 365 weather trivia stories for a calendar titled “150 Years of Prince Edward Island Weather”. From humorous tales of pigs swimming down the street after their barn flooded during the Kennedy Inaugural Storm of 1961 to the tragedy of the Yankee Gale of 1851 where one hundred fisherman (mainly Americans) were drowned on PEI’s north shore, the PEI Weather Trivia Calendar is bound to meet the needs of the weather junkie in you. Watch your bookstores as it is being printed for release in May.

     Questions? Contact Adam Fenech at afenech@upei.ca or (902) 620-5220