Courtesy Twitter/@Pat_wx
Several New Brunswick communities recorded all-time monthly highs on 19 June 2020 including Greater Moncton which reached 35.6°C.
The previous June maximum was 34.4°C on 29 June 1944.
Fredericton at 36.4°C, Miramichi at 37.2°C and Bouctouche at 36.0°C also set new monthly highs.
Kouchibouguac set an all-time high of 37.3°C.
Numerous other daily record highs were broken throughout the Maritimes and Quebec.
Record highs were smashed in many communities across New Brunswick on Thursday (18 June) with temperatures soaring to 37°C – rare for June.
Many of the old records which were broken date back to 1949.
Environment Canada says the above average warmth is expected to continue – with a brief respite on Saturday – well into next week.
Meteorologists say the excessive heat is surging northward into Eastern Canada thanks to locked-in low pressure over the Southeastern United States which is bringing rain and cooler than normal temperatures to that region.
Selected new record highs for 18 June 2020:
(Data courtesy Environment Canada)
Tree down near Charlotte and Carleton, Fredericton, NB, 05 June 2020 (Twitter/@KarlieFooter)
Strong clusters of thunderstorms rolled across central New Brunswick Friday night bringing heavy downpours, hail and damaging winds to the Fredericton area.
Environment Canada estimates winds gusted to more than 90 km/h which uprooted trees and downed power lines causing widespread outages.
Flash flooding became an issue when about 20-30 mm of rain fell in a brief period.
A severe thunderstorm watch was in place for Southeast New Brunswick for almost an hour with only dark clouds and sprinkles of rain.
The thermometer finally hit 20°C in Greater Moncton – a benchmark not seen since 26 September (almost eight months!) – and it comes much later compared to recent years.
The temperature reached 20.3°C late this afternoon although Fredericton was the hot spot in New Brunswick at 21.7°C.
It has been an exceptionally cold spring – May is running about four degrees below average to date – and even slightly colder than last year’s chilly season.
Environment Canada is forecasting another cool start to the week but a warming trend could push daytime highs to almost 30°C by Friday.
Snow in Hanwell, NB, 09 May 2020 (Twitter/@marlowcam8)
It’s the middle of May and spring has barely appeared in New Brunswick so far and now an intense low pressure system has brought a wintry blast.
Greater Moncton had strong winds along with a cold rain which later turned to snow and a couple centimetres accumulated on colder surfaces like vehicles.
But the central, western and northern parts of the province got blasted with more than 30 cm of heavy, wet snow in some areas.
Meteorologists say cold air from the polar vortex continues to loom over eastern North America with new record lows set in Ontario this weekend and New York City recorded its latest trace of snow since 1977.
Snowfall amounts, 10 May at 3pm ADT (cm):
(Data courtesy Environment Canada)
A low pressure system moved up the Bay of Fundy and brought heavy, wet snow to most of New Brunswick with rain as well in some areas.
About 5-10 cm snow fell across the southern part of the province, 20 cm in central areas and up to 30 cm in the north creating messy road conditions.
The mid-April snow was not unusual but was still the heaviest snowfall since early March.
Snow amounts by volunteers (in cm):
It’s a sure sign of spring…
New Brunswick’s annual program monitoring the status of rivers, ice jams and other flood issues officially launched today.
Historic flooding in 2018 and 2019 devastated many communities along the St. John River although individuals and municipal governments were better prepared last year.
Higher than normal water levels forced the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway between Fredericton and Moncton for almost a week and even longer the year before.
Officials say a variety of factors contribute to flooding including precipitation, snow pack, air temperatures and river ice.
Snow falls in NE Moncton, 27 Feb 2020 (Dearing)
A major winter storm moved across Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada delivering snow, rain, freezing rain, strong winds and ice pellets.
Police told drivers to stay off the roads, many flights were grounded, schools closed and some businesses shut down.
Almost 17 cm of snow/ice pellets fell in Greater Moncton which made roads treacherous and forced the transit system to cancel service by late afternoon.
Snowfall amounts (in cm):
Duration of freezing rain (in hours):
Rainfall (in mm):
Wind gusts (in km/h):
(Data courtesy Environment Canada)
Snow covered steps in NE Moncton, 19 Jan 2020 (Dearing)
On the heels of the coldest weather so far this winter in Greater Moncton with lows of -21°C comes the heaviest snowfall to date.
A Colorado Low arrived in the Maritimes on Sunday after delivering a blow to the middle of the continent including Ontario and Quebec.
Since it was already very cold across Southern New Brunswick, the snow that fell was light and dry – unlike so-called “heart attack” snow which is heavy and wet.
Snowfall totals (in cm):
(Data courtesy volunteer observations)
Light snow falls on Boxing Day, Truro, NS, 26 Dec 2019 (Dearing)
Despite a relatively snow-free December, Greater Moncton still managed to have a White Christmas this year after all – but just barely.
Environment Canada reports 2 cm of snow on the ground at the airport Christmas morning which fits its official definition.
Other parts of southern New Brunswick and Nova Scotia did not have snow including in Truro where I spent the holiday.
Meteorologists say odds of a White Christmas have decreased in recent years.
Here are the odds for select Canadian cities (1994-2017 versus 1955-2017):
