December 2020 – A Wet Month ending the year warm.
A very rainy, but not quite record rainy, month.
The Alberniweather and Alberni Valley Climate Summary for December 2020
Like November, December delivered the rain. Both the airport and city stations saw totals over their normal for the month.
However, temperatures were also well above normal. 1.4 and 1.6º C respectively on average. That was enough to keep away any significant snowfall. The Airport recorded 1cm and as we know from the Snow Contest, we didn’t achieve a measurable amount at Alberniweather.
That said, even though we had above normal temperatures, the Airport recorded no new extreme records for temperature. Only one new record was set, on the 30th for 73mm of rain. Not enough for an all-time high for that day but still a ton.
We should get a bunch more this month.
Story of the Month
The story of the month was definitely the rain and perhaps the relationship to the strongest Bering Sea Low ever recorded!
A runner up was the once-in-800 year Great Conjunction that was visible to everyone with clear skies at Christmas. If we had had clear skies maybe I would have made it the story of the month! 🙂
Also, 2020 ended. So that was good. 😉 Happy New Year and stay tuned for 2020 annual summary coming soon.
Daily and All Time Records Set
Set at the Airport* since 1994 and compared to other stations** for “All Time” since 1900.
Just one new record was posted at the Airport this month. It did not beat the all time high at Beaver Creek.
- Dec 30 rain 74.0 mm : #1 is 87.4 mm at Beaver Creek in 1926.
City Station Comparisons
Mean Min, Mean, and Mean Max Temperature,
Total Precipitation and Highest Wind
- Alberniweather: 2.4 ºC, 4.1 ºC, 5.9 ºC, 314.7 mm , S 53.1 kph on 18th
- Alberni Elem. : 2.8 ºC, 4.5 ºC, 6.4 ºC, 375.4 mm, SE 30 kph on 18th
- Maquinna Elem.: 2.2 ºC, 3.9 ºC, 5.6 ºC, 439.9 mm, NE 39 kph on 18th
- Neptune: 2.5 ºC, 4.2 ºC, 5.9 ºC, NA , NA
- Nick’s (Maq area): 2.1 ºC, 3.6 ºC, 5.2 ºC, 218.4 mm, SSE 42.5 kph on 27th
City and Airport
Compared to Normal
Differences from Normal (1971-2000) in the City
+2.2 °C, +1.6 ºC, +1.1 ºC, +34.7 mm (111.4%)
This Month’s Average City Values
- City Stations Average: 2.4 ºC, 4.1 ºC, 5.8 ºC, 337.1 mm
- Normal 1971-2000 (Prt Alb A (Somass)): 0.2 ºC, 2.5 ºC 4.7 °C, 302.4 mm
Differences from Normal (1981-2010) at the Airport
+1.7° C, +1.4º C, +1.3º C, +7.7 mm (102.2%)
This Month’s Average Airport Values
- Airport : 1.4º C, 3.2º C, 5.1° C, 360.9 mm, ESE 48kph on 26th
- Normal 1981-2010 (Rbrtsn Creek): -0.3 ºC, 1.8 ºC 3.8 °C, 353.2 mm
Official Days of Precipitation at Airport
Normal Days : Days This Month
>= 0.2 mm: 20.5 : 23
>= 5 mm: 13.1 : 16
>= 10 mm: 10.0 : 12
>= 25 mm: 5.3 : 6
* May have used backup Environment Canada Data source at WeatherStats.ca or Missing Data **^^ Missing Data from Airport, Alberniweather broke existing Airport record temperature. Temperature at Alberniweather will be different. Usually Alberniweather underestimates temperatures in summer compared to Airport. ** Short Term means since 1995 at the new AVRA Airport. Airport Records are compared to the 30+ year weather stations of record since 1900 (1895 for rain) at Beaver Creek, Port Alberni "City" and Robertson Creek. Note that records pre 1950 may be more likely to over-estimate high temperatures. ***Rain gauge faulty. ****Alberni Elementary station offline.
About The Author
Chris – thanks for the info! FYI, My backyard total for December was 381 mm, which is very close to the total at the station nearest to me on your list, Alberni Elementary.
Awesome! Good to have some consistency! Our micro-climates around the valley are endlessly fascinating!