Nova Scotia·Weather

January was one of the warmest on record in the Maritimes

CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon dives into the record breaking numbers from January and looks ahead to the rest of the winter.

With temperatures 5 to 6 degrees above average, most of January was exceptionally mild

Ryan Snoddon · CBC News · Posted: Feb 08, 2023 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: February 8, 2023

January was one of the warmest on record in the Maritimes. (Environment and Climate Change Canada)

Now that the coldest Arctic blast in years is behind us, we can circle back and talk about what was one of the warmest Januarys on record.

It should come as no surprise that this past January was warmer than normal, however how much warmer is really noteworthy.

Temperatures across the Maritimes averaged five to six degrees above the 30-year average.

The Halifax area, Annapolis Valley region, Yarmouth and Charlottetown all saw the warmest January on record.

The rest of the region experienced temperatures that ranked the third or fourth warmest, compared to temperatures between 1981 and 2010.

Temperatures averaged 5 to 6 degrees above normal (1981-2010) in January. — Temperatures averaged five to six degrees above January temperatures recording from 1981-2010. (Ryan Snoddon/CBC)

January 2023 was by far the warmest on record at Halifax-Shearwater. (Ryan Snoddon/CBC)

One of the most notable stats from the month comes from Baccaro Point in southwestern Nova Scotia. At that particular location, overnight lows in January averaged zero.

To have a winter month with an average nighttime low not below zero is quite something.

While snowfall totals averaged near to above normal across New Brunswick, both P.E.I. and Nova Scotia saw well below average snowfall in January.

Snowfall was much lower than normal across Nova Scotia in January, but near normal across New Brunswick. (Environment and Climate Change Canada)

In fact, Halifax airport had its lowest October to January snowfall on record, with just 37 centimetres.

Sea ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is also running incredibly low, covering just four per cent of the gulf's surface. The 1990-2020 average is 12 per cent coverage in January.

Gulf of St. Lawrence Ice coverage this season. The green line is the Median expected averaging 1990-2020. — Gulf of St. Lawrence Ice coverage this season. The green line is the median expected averaging 1990-2020. (Environment and Climate Change Canada)

Ice coverage so far this winter is similar to 2020-2021, which was a record low year.

Looking ahead

Now that we are officially past the midway point of winter, folks are wondering what the rest of the season might look like.

The second half certainly started with a bang, with record wind chills and one of the coldest Arctic shots in years.

Looking ahead, it appears the pattern will flip back to a more familiar one with warmer than average temperatures.

Long-range guidance is signalling that while we'll see some rounds of cold and more snow, temperatures will average above normal through the rest of February and into early March.

By the time we flip the calendar to March and the sun gets higher in the sky, we'll certainly be on the home stretch of the winter season.