Edmonton faces its first snowless November on record
It's unheard of for Edmonton airport to not report snowfall in November. In fact, it has never happened in recorded history. However, it could happen this year.
Is it possible for the Edmonton to have its first snowless November?
It's unheard of for Edmonton airport to not report snowfall in November. In fact, it has never happened in recorded history. However, 2023 may be the first year ever the airport sees a November without recording any snowfall.
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And, it may be the first monthly snow drought in the city since 1928, a whopping 95 years ago. Here's how this may take shape:
First of all, no, this is not normal. What is typical is for Edmonton International Airport (YEG) to see 17.3 cm of snowfall during November. It's not like we wouldn't normally have cold enough temperatures, either. By this time, daytime highs fall below freezing on average. So, what gives?
A dominant push of mild Pacific air has kept daytime highs well above seasonal for the month. But, more importantly, it has protected Edmonton from incoming systems, both from the north and the south. The lack of system snowfall and upsloping setups have resulted in a snowless month so far, for both the airport and the city of Edmonton.
And peeking into long-range models, that trend may head right into early December.
Long-range patterns offer a couple quick shots of colder weather for the western Prairies, but overall, a milder, drier pattern is expected. A drier-than-normal pattern is anticipated for the rest of November and into the start of December, hugging most of B.C. and Alberta.
With this setup, it looks like Edmonton and surrounding regions could finish the month without having any measurable snow on the ground at any point during November. For YEG, that would be a surprising first.
With files from Rachel Modestino, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.
