Spiders and a deadly derecho: wrapping up 2022 across Canada
Hurricanes, greenhouse gas records, and humanity’s new ride to the Moon made some of the top stories of 2022 across Canada and around the world.
Twisters, critters, galaxies, and a deadly derecho. This was a non-stop year of extreme weather and special discoveries across Canada and around the world.
Whether you spent the year dodging snowflakes and heat waves on the West Coast or fleeing from hurricanes and spiders down east, 2022 cemented its status as another unforgettable stretch in an era of change and extremes.
Our team dove into the year’s biggest stories to bring you Canada’s conclusive year-end wrap on all things weather and beyond.
Check out our stories below, and be sure to subscribe to our podcast This Day In Weather History for your daily dose of fascinating tales of triumphs, tragedies, and nature’s most extreme storms throughout the year.
Canada’s wild year of extreme weather
It’s almost poetic that 2022 began with unusual cold in the West only to end with unusual warmth in the East.
The weather in 2022 felt like endless lurches between extremes. May saw a deadly derecho upend life across Ontario and Quebec after it left a path of damage measuring nearly 1,000 km long.
READ MORE: Whirlwind of destruction, snow and rain: Canada's wild weather in 2022
Atlantic Canada suffered a powerful blow from Fiona, a hybrid storm that was part-nor’easter and part-hurricane when it roared ashore in late September. Droughts and extreme heat fuelled wildfires from coast to coast, hitting British Columbia and Newfoundland particularly hard.
DON’T MISS: Gooey spider webs and fuzzy caterpillars stole the show in 2022
WATCH: These 2022 weather events shattered records across Canada
Climate change took centre stage
The causes and impacts of climate change are both accelerating at a frightening rate across the world. May 2022 witnessed carbon dioxide levels reach their highest concentration ever recorded.
Despite climate agreements and a global pandemic, these greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and fuel a bevy of extremes across the globe. Our team explored some of climate change’s biggest impacts on the world in 2022.
Through all of the extremes, though, there were plenty of climate stories in 2022 that gave us hope for the future. Clean technology and nature-based solutions continue to spur hope and momentum for a more sustainable future.
A new telescope peered into the past
Despite all of our troubles on the ground and torrents from the sky, we still gazed into the night sky with fresh determination to explore what lies beyond our fragile blue marble.
CHECK IT OUT: Astronomy and space exploration reached new heights in 2022
A new satellite sent back stunning images of our universe with a resolution and depth astronomers could only dream about until now. Humanity’s new ride to the Moon took flight as Artemis I took flight to scope out the lunar surface.
Don’t miss all of the fascinating discoveries and adventures scientists achieved in 2022—and what we have to look forward to in the new year to come.
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Thumbnail image courtesy of NOAA.
