Warm, dry weather ahead for the N.W.T. following 2nd-warmest winter on record

CBC
·2 min read
The water tower in Fort Smith, N.W.T., pictured in September 2019. On Monday, the town hit a daily record of 17 C. (Mario De Ciccio/Radio-Canada - image credit)
The water tower in Fort Smith, N.W.T., pictured in September 2019. On Monday, the town hit a daily record of 17 C. (Mario De Ciccio/Radio-Canada - image credit)

This spring and summer will again be dry ones in the Northwest Territories, according to a senior climatologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Dave Phillips said that's following the "second-warmest winter" on record for the N.W.T.

On Monday, Fort Smith, N.W.T., hit a daily record of 17 C, which was nine degrees above average temperatures for that day, Phillips said.

"Going forward, that dryness into the warmth spells concerns with wildfire," Philips said.

Earl Evans, who lives in Fort Smith, said when he went duck hunting on Monday, the river was so low that it made it hard to find any.

"We can't spring hunt like we used to," Evans said. "Every spring, everybody looks forward to a nice fat duck and a nice fat muskrat meat. But it's really difficult to find this year, holy man."

Earl Evans of Fort Smith is saddened by the loss of his two cabins. He enjoys being on the land and said the cabins were good places to store necessary supplies on the trail, and take shelter while traveling.
Earl Evans of Fort Smith is saddened by the loss of his two cabins. He enjoys being on the land and said the cabins were good places to store necessary supplies on the trail, and take shelter while traveling.

Earl Evans, who lives in Forth Smith, is already seeing the effects of warmer weather this spring. (Carla Ulrich/CBC)

Evans said about a week ago, there was some water, but the warm weather has caused it to dry up.

"Whatever little water we had, it's disappeared already," he said.

'A moisture deficit situation'

Phillips said there may be some relief coming with the end of El Niño, which is when the surface temperature of the Pacific Ocean near the equator is 0.5 C warmer than usual.

Phillips said El Niño has had a dramatic effect on weather in Canada including warmer and drier weather in the N.W.T. and western Canada.

"When it's warmer like that, it evaporates more," Phillips said. "We're in a moisture deficit situation."

Dave Phillips, senior climatologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, says this year's unusually warm winter has been odd. Canada is the snowiest and second-coldest nation in the world, meaning 'winter is who we are.'
Dave Phillips, senior climatologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, says this year's unusually warm winter has been odd. Canada is the snowiest and second-coldest nation in the world, meaning 'winter is who we are.'

Dave Phillips, senior climatologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, says this year's spring and summer in the N.W.T. will be warm and dry. (CBC)

Phillips said it's difficult to predict precipitation, but there doesn't seem to be much coming for the N.W.T.

"We need a monsoonal kind of situation in the North to restore what has happened in the last two or three years," Phillips said.

Phillips said models are showing the forecast for May, June and July to be "warmer than normal" in the N.W.T.

The weather is also heading toward La Niña, which hopefully means cooler and wetter conditions, Phillips said.

As for wildfires, Phillips said he's hopeful that the territory is more prepared after last year's record-breaking year.

"In my business you rarely get two years like that in a row," he said.