Later start of winter
November is the final month of the fall season. The typical previews of winter during this month were fairly minimal this year. November was much warmer than normal, especially in the Northwest and the Far North. In early November there were widespread records set for high values in the daily maximums and the overnight minimums. After some close to seasonal temperatures in mid-November a warm air mass crossed Northern Ontario from west to east in the third week and the “warmth” returned.
Lake effect precipitation
Water temperatures remained much warmer than average throughout the month of November. This delayed ice formation on Hudson Bay, James Bay, the Great Lakes Superior and Huron and Lake Nipigon well into December.
These warmer than normal temperatures enhanced the effects of a Colorado low that passed over Lake Superior November 17 to 20. Rainfall totals in the Thunder Bay area ranged from 60 mm to 110 mm. This weather system resulted moderate rain north and east of Lake Superior and significant snowfalls as it traveled inland.
Windflow from a second Colorado low at the end of November resulted in lake-effect snow and snow squalls next to Lakes Superior and Huron. Major amounts of snow fell over many areas of northeastern Ontario. Snowfall rates of 3 to 6 cm/hour were common on Highway 17 and secondary highways. Driving conditions were described as "difficult to nearly impossible" because of the intense snowfall.
2024 was another year of with weather extremes
Extreme weather of 2024 resulted in Canada's most expensive year for weather disasters in history, and affecting millions of lives. The following statements are from Environment Canada’s 2024 summary.
“From floods and damaging hail to extreme temperatures and devastating wildfires, these severe weather events left an unprecedented mark on both communities and insurance ledgers”.
“Four weather events in July and August resulted in over $7.7 billion in insured damages.”
“The human toll was also severe, frigid temperatures in January claiming dozens of lives in western Canada's homeless population, while flooding events in British Columbia, Quebec, and Nova Scotia added to the year's fatalities.”
Annual insured losses due to extreme weather in Canada are at least 40 times of what they were in the early 1980s. This is a very steep trend which is probably not going to conveniently quiet down. Increasing global carbon emissions are a main contributor to the increasing impact of wildfires and other severe weather events.
Weather crises 70 years ago
I'm not sure it's totally appropriate in the final “Weather” column of 2024 to talk about the good old days” of government policy! I kept the following as brief as I could. There are many past examples of “good policy following weather related disasters. Given what has happened in 2023 and this year, it is time for more effective policies that address the accelerating climate emergency.
I present two examples of effective government policy responses related to extreme weather disasters in the 1950s. The modern term “smog” came into use because of the mix of smoke and fog that smothered London, England in
December, 1952. Sick and dying people overwhelmed the hospital system. Officially 15,000 people died but almost certainly the death toll was much higher. The event led to many air quality reforms over the decades, including strict
pollution regulations and restrictions on fossil fuel vehicles in the city centre.
Closer to home, the late stages of Hurricane Hazel passed over southern Ontario in October 1954. An entire street in northwest Toronto was swept down the Humber River. There are photographs of people clinging to house rooftops and 81 people died. Some bodies washed up on the shores of Lake Ontario in New York State days later. The provincial government of the time responded promptly with major changes to building codes and the establishment of
Conservation Authorities throughout Ontario to assess and warn of flood risk.
Flash flooding because of the Timmins storm on August 31, 1961, prompted zoning and code changes, especially for Northern Ontario.
Fast-forward to recent Doug Ford government reductions of funding for wildfire management and Conservation Authorities and overruling of zoning regulations when they might impede pet projects. Flashing-forward we are likely to find our infrastructure is not prepared.
The frequency of tornadoes has increased in recent years in Ontario. Doug Ford trundles over to the Ottawa valley time after time to say hello to people who have suffered tornado damage.
One might suppose that the new 2024 Ontario Building Code (effective January 1, 2025) would have been a logical place to increase resiliency of houses for tornadoes and another strong wind events. So far, according to the Ontario
Building Officials Association, there is no mention of modifying the building code to reduce the risk of wind damage to buildings and people. Another deficiency is ignoring recommendations to increase energy efficiency in houses and large buildings. This merely is an introduction to this topic and I will revisit it next year.
The very best to readers for the final weeks of 2024 and in 2025.
Attawapiskat First Nation is my home community and it was where I was born and raised with my family. When I think about where I grew up, I feel like I came...
My father Marius Kataquapit, a hunter, trapper and traditional person from the remote Attawapiskat First Nation could understand the English language but...