Climate Atlas says hotter Victoria summers and rainier winters to come

Climate Atlas says hotter Victoria summers and rainier winters to come
CHEK

File photo.

File photo.

An interactive tool that communicates climate change in Canada says Victoria will see much more summer heat and winter rain in the next 60 years.

Climate Atlas of Canada, based at the Prairie Climate Centre at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, has offered a summary of climate changes for Canadian cities comparing data from 1976 to 2005 with projections for 2051 to 2080.

Climate Atlas is forecasting that Victoria will see an average of 53 days with temperatures over 25-degrees Celsius, compared to a mean of 8 days a year beyond that temperature mark from 1976-2005.

The average hottest summer day was 28.6 degrees but is anticipated to rise to 33.1 by 2080.

The average coldest winter day is expected to be -1.4 degrees, as opposed to the coldest day average of -5.5.

Climate Atlas says there will be an average number of two days per year below the freezing mark.

There was an average of 19 days below zero from 1976 to 2005.

The historic dry spell we saw last summer could be the new normal in the future.

An average of 51 millimetres of summer precipitation is called for, 11mm less than the mean between 1976 and 2005.

But rain is expected to pick up, with an average forecast of 405mm in winter and 283mm projected in the fall.

In the 30 years leading up to 2005, the average winter rainfall was 372mm and autumn precipitation saw an average of 252mm.

The interactive map gives a look at climate change impact across the country.

Climate Action says four out of five Canadians live in urban areas and says the city climate reports offer ideas and approaches that can be used for climate change action.

 

Andy NealAndy Neal

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