HALIFAX -- Environment and Climate Change Canada has released their monthly weather and climate summary for April.
In general, the month finished with above normal temperatures and near normal precipitation amounts with a few exceptions.
A number of locations ranked within a top five finish for warmest April on record. That includes the Eskosoni, Ingonish, and Malay Falls areas of Nova Scotia, which reported their warmest April on record. The Charlo, Fundy, and St. Stephen areas of New Brunswick reported their second warmest April on record.
A slow moving low pressure system at the start of the month brought a sustained and heavy rain to areas of Cape Breton. The Sydney Airport reported a total of 120.2 mm of rain between April 1 and April 4.
By months end, both the Sydney and Ingonish areas of Nova Scotia received more than twice the monthly average of rain. At 277.1 mm, Sydney had its wettest April since records began in 1870.
At 391.0 mm of rain, Ingonish had its second wettest April on record going back to 1951. Areas of northern New Brunswick and Cape Breton finished the month with the highest precipitation totals compared to April averages.
April snow isn’t uncommon for the Maritimes, but the month finished with generally less than average amounts.
The few exceptions include parts of northern New Brunswick and the Cape Breton Highlands which saw some totals to or in excess of 50 cm. The month end snow pack was found to be lower/melted earlier than normal for the region.
Sea ice coverage was well below normal to start the month, and what little remained was gone by mid-April. This brought the ice season for the Gulf of St. Lawrence to an end six weeks earlier than the climatological normal. The season as a whole was found to be the second lowest on record for ice, following the 2009-2010 season.
Sea surface temperatures at months end were found to be near-to-above normal for our surrounding ocean waters.
The Canadian Drought Monitor has the Maritime region in near normal conditions except abnormally dry for parts of the Annapolis Valley and into the Minas Basin region of Nova Scotia as well as parts of western Prince Edward Island. Abnormally dry, or D0, is the lowest level analyzed by the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and is followed by D1 - moderate drought, D2 – severe drought, D3 – extreme drought, and D4 – exceptional drought.
The monthly prediction system used by Environment Canada forecasts May to have near normal temperature and precipitation for the Maritime region.
This article is a result of data and files provided by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
