February a month of big temperature swings

Reeti Meenakshi Rohilla - Staff Writer 

February was a month of big temperature swings in Sioux Lookout, according to Warning Preparedness Meteorologist with Environment Canada, Steven Flisfeder.

Flisfeder said, “For the month of February, overall, there was an average high temperature of about –11.2°C and average low of –23.3°C. Typically for February, looking at the climate normals, we would expect an average daily high of –14°C and average low of –19.8°C. So, not too far away from normal, but, the nights were a bit cooler and the days were a bit warmer.”

Flisfeder said that according to readings recorded at the Sioux Lookout Airport, Sioux Lookout received only 1.9 cm of snow during the entire month of February.

He added, “Whereas the climate normals, we would expect 22.5 cm of snow. So, it was a particularly dry February this year, in terms of snowfall.”

“The first week of February was fairly mild. It was anywhere between 0°C and about –5°C for the first couple of days and then took a big swing to the colder temperatures. So, around the 5th of February, it was more like –18°C to –20°C. The –20°C to –25°C range really stuck through the next week of February, until about Valentine’s Day, February 14th, and then temperatures were kind of up and down through the rest of February. It got up to about 4.5°C on February 22. So that would be the end of third week of February. It is kind of been positive and negative since then.” 

Flisfeder shared that the climate normals are typically based on data collected over a 30-year period. The current climate data was collected from 1981 to 2010. He said that a new set of climate data is expected to be released later this year, covering readings from the year 1991 to 2020.