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PHOTOS: Extended cold snap causes Lake Revelstoke to freeze

Environment Canada says last month was colder than usual

Environment Canada said Feb. was unique in that the entire month was chilly. That month, a cold arctic front settled across the province and stuck.

“In the past, they usually only last a week or two,” said Bobby Sekhon, meteorologist with Environment Canada.

As a result, Lake Revelstoke froze over, which doesn’t usually happen.

The daily mean temperature in Revelstoke for Feb. was -7.5 degrees. By comparison, Jan. was -1.9 degrees and Dec. was -0.6 degrees.

Sekhon says Feb. was “peculiar” across the province. For example, Vernon had the sixth coldest month on record since 1901. The daily mean was -7.9 degrees, while the norm for that month is -1.7 degrees.

While no records were set in Revelstoke last month, Sekhon says the prolonged cold was unusual. He said Environment Canada expects the rest of Mar. to be “normal” with next week reaching a daily mean of 5 degrees, which is usual for this time of year.

“We do not expect another extended cold snap,” says Sekhon.

Tula, the new broadcast reporter for Revelstoke Review, went for a walk down by Lake Revelstoke today and although it only snowed seven cm last night, that’s still almost half a Tula. Still, she’s eager for more snow.