Warm, dry weather ahead for the N.W.T. following 2nd-warmest winter on record

This spring and summer will again be dry ones in the Northwest Territories, according to a senior climatologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. 

Dave Phillips said that's following the "second-warmest winter" on record for the N.W.T. 

On Monday, Fort Smith, N.W.T., hit a daily record of 17 C, which was nine degrees above average temperatures for that day, Phillips said. 

"Going forward, that dryness into the warmth spells concerns with wildfire," Philips said. 

Earl Evans, who lives in Fort Smith, said when he went duck hunting on Monday, the river was so low that it made it hard to find any. 

"We can't spring hunt like we used to," Evans said. "Every spring, everybody looks forward to a nice fat duck and a nice fat muskrat meat. But it's really difficult to find this year, holy man."

Evans said about a week ago, there was some water, but the warm weather has caused it to dry up. 

"Whatever little water we had, it's disappeared already," he said. 

'A moisture deficit situation'

Phillips said there may be some relief coming with the end of El Niño, which is when the surface temperature of the Pacific Ocean near the equator is 0.5 C warmer than usual. 

Phillips said El Niño has had a dramatic effect on weather in Canada including warmer and drier weather in the N.W.T. and western Canada. 

"When it's warmer like that, it evaporates more," Phillips said. "We're in a moisture deficit situation."

Phillips said it's difficult to predict precipitation, but there doesn't seem to be much coming for the N.W.T. 

"We need a monsoonal kind of situation in the North to restore what has happened in the last two or three years," Phillips said.

Phillips said models are showing the forecast for May, June and July to be "warmer than normal" in the N.W.T. 

The weather is also heading toward La Niña, which hopefully means cooler and wetter conditions, Phillips said. 

As for wildfires, Phillips said he's hopeful that the territory is more prepared after last year's record-breaking year. 

"In my business you rarely get two years like that in a row," he said. 

The Trailbreaker13:29Interview with a senior Climatologist about what people in the Northwest Territories can expect from this summer.

Environment and Climate Change Canada has it's weather data into July. Dave Phillips is a senior Climatologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. He joined Shannon Scott to talk about what people in the Northwest Territories can expect out of this summer.