August has continued the July pattern of anomalously warm weather in Canada’s far eastern regions with a new all-time record high of 22.7°C (72.9°F) measured at Resolution Island, Nunavut on August 23rd. In contrast, Northern Ireland observed its coldest August temperature on record the morning of August 24th with a -1.9°C (28.6°F) reading.
Resolution Island (61° 36’N, 64° 38’W) is located in the normally icy Hudson Strait between the southern tip of Baffin Island and northern tip of Labrador, Newfoundland. The weather this summer has been abnormally warm in the Baffin Island and Newfoundland region in contrast to the cooler than normal conditions in western Quebec, Ontario, and the central U.S. In fact, the maximum temperature at St. John, Newfoundland during July was 0.4°C (0.7°F) warmer than the maximum observed in Toronto (City Center site) over the course of the entire month!
500 mb heights and anomalies for North America during July. Note the anomalous warmth centered over Newfoundland Island and Baffin Island. NOAA data.
St. John, the capital city of Newfoundland, enjoyed its warmest July on record with an average temperature of 20.0°C (68.0°F), some 4.2°C (7.6°F) above the normal July average of 15.8°C (60.4°F). According to local news reports, the previous July monthly record was 18.6°C (65.5°F) set during July 1874. On July 30th the temperature peaked at 29.5°C (85.1°F) short of their all-time record of 31.5°C (88.7°F) observed on July 6, 1983. So far, this August has averaged 17.0°C (62.6°F), 0.9°C (1.6°F) above the normal of 16.1°C (61.0°F).
St. John’s daily climate data for this past July. Note all the 25°C (77°F) plus days. The normal daily maximum temperature during July is 20.7°C (69.3°F) and the normal low 10.9°C (51.6°F). Table from Environment Canada.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, Northern Ireland recorded its coldest August temperature on record when a reading of -1.9°C (28.6°F) was measured at Katesbridge, County Down on the morning of August 24th. The previous record was -1.1°C (30.0°F) observed at Loughermore Forest in August 1964. The coldest August temperature on record for all of the U.K. is -4.3°C (24.3°F) at Lagganlia, Scotland on August 21, 1973 (this excludes high-elevation sites such as Ben Nevis Observatory or Cairngorm).
KUDOS: Thanks to Maximiliano Herrera for Resolution Island data and bringing the above to my attention.
Christopher C. Burt
Weather Historian
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