Winnipeg Temperature and Precipitation Trend

Winnipeg Temperature and Precipitation Trend

The Trends for both Annual Temperature and Precipitation in a Table and What these Values Indicate

Table 1

Table Illustrating the Average Annual Temperature of Winnipeg for Over 30 Years

Temperatures

Source: Government of Canada.

The average temperature over the 30 years is 35.6^oF, while the simple ranges of annual values vary from year to year. The warm years lasted from 1999 to 2015, recording an average of 67^oF, with 2013 being the hottest, with between 62^oF and 80^oF. The months of November 23 to March 4 were the coldest season, with an average temperature of 26^oF annually. 2000 was the coldest year, recording as low as 13^oF and sometimes -2^oF.

Winnipeg has warm and long summers characterized by high annual temperatures of up to 80^oF, but rarely reaches 89^oF. On the other hand, winters are snowy, windy, and frigid with partly filled cloudy skies.  During this period, the temperature is around -2^oF and may not go beyond -21^oF. The period between 2008 and 2017 was characterized by warm weather that is conducive for activities such as tourism (Ng et al. 2). The standard deviation for the region’s temperature during the 30 years was 33.7^oF. The correlation analysis for temperature is 1.2, implying a statistical significance in the changes in the climate parameters that have occurred over time..

Table 2

Table Illustrating the Average Annual Precipitation of Winnipeg Over 30 Year Period.

Precipitation

Source: Government of Canada

The median precipitation for Winnipeg was 0.05 inches, while the wettest year received 0.04 inches of liquid, and this range varied all year round. 1989 to 1995 were the wettest years, recording 21% probability of wet days, with 2006 being the wettest year at 37% probability. The duration between 1996 and 2007 was the driest, with 6% chances of wetness on February 2. From 2007 to 2020, the region experienced more rain, with the highest rainfall being recorded in 2008 at 37% probability. 2010 to 2016 were the years when snow was most common, with 2011 recording the highest snow level at 9%. The standard deviation for the region’s temperature during the 30 years was 0.03 (Ng et al. 3). The correlation analysis for temperature is 1.01, implying a statistical significance in the changes in the climate parameters that have occurred over the period.

Comment on the Trends Observed for both Variables

Based on the observed trend of temperature and precipitation in the Winnipeg region in Canada, the area experiences fluctuating weather and climatic conditions. While the variation is normal, what was worrying was the continued decline in the level of precipitation and increased temperatures recorded in the zone (Olsen 3). For instance, surprisingly, the region had a longer duration of drier years with higher temperatures and lower precipitation rate. The same case presented a shorter duration of wet months with high precipitation and low temperatures.

The implication of the temperature and precipitation trends in Winnipeg is that climate change has been happening, with only negative changes being felt. Therefore, the effects of these adverse changes in temperature and precipitation on the physical/biological environments are the loss of biological diversity, migration of species, and change of Winnipeg’s topography (Olsen 5).

The precipitation of Winnipeg reached 3.1 inches in 2006 and remained daily stable above 1.0 inches up to 2012. Between 2011 and 2013, the precipitations were approximately 0.3 inches. The period 2014 to 2018 was characterized by a steady increase in the precipitation level up to a maximum of 3.1 inches. Generally, 1999 was frigid, while 2000 up to 2005 were freezing.  Between 2006 and 2011, the region experienced cool weather. 2012 to 2014 were cool as the weather froze again between late 2015 and 2019 (Ng et al. 4).

Discussion with an Elder and Their Impression on Recent Temperature and Precipitation Changes at Winnipeg

An interview with an elder from the Winnipeg area revealed the historical changes in the trend of precipitation and temperature in the region. From the responses to the questions I posted, the elder affirmed that climate change has been happening in the region, with trends in temperature and precipitations becoming worse (“Canada’s Changing Climate Report”). The elder’s impression of the recent changes showed that temperatures have been rising while precipitation dropping, an indication that climate change effect is being felt in the region. The elder’s view could also mean that regions that used to receive high precipitation have recorded a significant decline in the rate of precipitation while cold areas have become hot in the recent past.

According to the elder, the precipitation received throughout the year was significantly seasonal, with the period from 2010 to 2016 having the heaviest amount of rain at 0.5 average for 30 years. 2011 received the highest 30 years sliding centered amount of rain at 3.1 inches. However, the period between 2017 and 2018 was rainless, with a total accumulation of 0.0 inches in 2018. On temperature variations, the elder observed that the high-temperature period in Winnipeg lasted from 1989 to 1996, with at least 30^oF on sliding 30 years. The elder also noted that 1995 had the highest temperature at 67^oF, while 1999 to 2006 had lower temperatures, with 2001 recording the lowest temperature at an average of 12^oF on 30 years sliding average.

The elder’s conception during this engagement corroborates the calculation I did based on the weather patterns and the information I accessed from the Canadian weather database. For instance, the elder acknowledged that Winnipeg’s precipitation rate as a percentage of its sky experiences seasonal variation all year round. However, between 2012 and 2017, the sky was clear, with 2014 being the clearest year for 72% of the days. Precipitation during this day only lasted for 28% of the entire year.  From 2018 to 2019, the skies begun to fill with precipitation, with 2018 being the cloudiest time at 66% of the whole day, and the clear sky lasted for only 34% of the day.

Works Cited

Canada’s Changing Climate Report. changingclimate.ca/CCCR2019/. Accessed 3 March 2020.

Government of Canada. “Changes in Precipitation.” www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/climate-change/canadian-centre-climate-services/basics/trends-projections/changes-precipitation.html. Accessed 3 March 2020.

Government of Canada. “Changes in Temperature.” www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/climate-change/canadian-centre-climate-services/basics/trends-projections/changes-temperature.html. Accessed 3 March 2020.

Government of Canada. “Technical Documentation: Gridded Historical Climate Data (CanGRD).” www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/climate-change/canadian-centre-climate-services/display-download/technical-documentation-historical-climate-data.html#toc1. Accessed 3 March 2020.

Ng, Adolf KY, et al. “Implications of Climate Change for Shipping: Opening the Arctic Seas.” Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, vol. 9, no. 2, 2018, pp. e507.

Olsen, Julia, et al. “Community Perspectives on the Environmental Impacts of Arctic Shipping: Case Studies from Russia, Norway and Canada.” Cogent Social Sciences, vol. 5, no.1, 2019, pp.