Fort Good Hope is being told to brace for heavy, wet snow beginning early Saturday in an extraordinary mid-July snowfall warning issued by Environment Canada.
Issued just after 3:30pm on Friday, the advisory follows a day of rain that had already been the subject of a separate warning.
Between 50 mm and 100 mm of rain had been forecast over a 24-hour period in the area, equivalent to two months’ normal rainfall for this time of year in the Sahtu.
Now, the temperature is dropping sufficiently that federal forecasters are adding a snowfall warning to the existing rainfall advisory.
“Heavy rain will change over to snow during the overnight hours on Friday as temperatures fall rapidly,” the snowfall warning stated.
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“Total snowfall amounts of 10 to 20 cm are possible, though uncertainty in exact amounts is high, in part because snow has never accumulated in this area in the month of July.”
On Thursday, Environment Canada meteorologist Eric Van Lochem confirmed snow has never been recorded in Fort Good Hope in July. The community’s weather record stretches back to 1897.
“This snow will be sticky and dense. It is likely to weigh down trees, power lines, and will be difficult to move around in,” the snowfall warning continued.
“Roads and walkways may be very difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow. Property or tree damage is possible.”
Even in Canada, July snowfall warnings are practically unheard-of, though snow has been falling in extreme high Arctic locations like Alert, Nunavut this month.
Rainfall warnings also remain in place for Colville Lake and Paulatuk, as well as lesser warnings for Norman Wells and Tulita. Tuktoyaktuk has a wind warning, and the NWT Power Corporation has reported difficulties coping with wind gusts in Inuvik.
