Weather wise in Chilliwack, January 2021 kicked the year off with an “atmospheric weather bomb,” a few record highs, and very little snow.
The strong gusts of wind that came with that weather bomb on Jan. 12/13 wreaked havoc across Chilliwack.
There were two record high temperatures set on Jan. 12 – which is on average the coldest day of the year, according to Roger Pannett’s January wrap-up as Chilliwack’s volunteer weather watcher for Environment Canada.
“The mild and wet weather in late December continued to mid-January with three record-breaking high temperatures on Jan. 2 and Jan. 12,” Pannett noted.
The record 7 degree Celsius high minimum set on Jan. 2, was comparable to an average “mid-May night-time temperature,” as well as the two other records set on what is normally the coldest day of the year.
Until mid-month a series of moist Pacific frontal systems continued to invade southern B.C.
“Rainfall was heavy at times with copious amounts of mountain snowfalls.”
But it was overnight on January 12/13 that an ‘atmospheric weather bomb,’ produced heavy rain, strong gusty winds with temperatures spiking to the record-breaking 14.9 C.
The winds knocked over highway signs and flipped trampolines and trailers.
RELATED: Strong, gusty winds wreak havoc in Chilliwack
After mid-month a weak ridge of high pressure produced some welcome sunny days and frosty nights.
The low temperature for the month was -3.2 C on Jan. 23.
The month concluded with a return to mild, rainy conditions.
Rainfall totals for the month were close to normal but snowfall was 96 per cent below normal. Only a 2.0 cm snowfall on Jan. 25 with a cool air mass and a low-pressure system moving south east down the B.C. coast.
The warming continues. With mean temperatures 3.58 C above normal, in excess of the + or – 2.6 C deviation, since 1997 only January 2008 and 2017 had below normal temperatures. It was the fifteenth consecutive month with above normal mean temperatures.
READ MORE: Wind and rain storm hit in early January
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