Erin Haluschak
Record Staff
Thanks to a recent bout of cold weather, the Extreme Weather Protocol has been put into effect, helping the homeless population of the Comox Valley who have a hard time staying dry and warm.
In times of extreme weather, an extra 30 shelter beds will be made available through the Northgate Foursquare Church.
The protocol goes into effect when temperatures are near zero with rainfall, where there is sleet/freezing rain, snow accumulation, sustained high winds or temperatures are at or below -2C.
While the last few days have sustained a cold snap, Jennifer Hay, meteorologist at Environment Canada, said the arctic air ridge which has been stuck over the province will begin to break down and warmer weather is on the way.
“We had two arctic outbreaks during the month of November, but it brought more sunny skies and a little more range in temperatures,” she explained. “But warmer temperatures are coming Thursday through Friday.”
While temperatures recorded did break two records at the Comox weather station, Hay said it is all relative.
“On Nov. 17, we got to -3.6C, and the record was -3.3C in 1955. But it’s not very significant seeing as the previous day the daily record was -7C.”
Near the end of the month, Hay noted there was a bout of warm air over the south coast, and on Nov. 27, Comox set a record with a high of 14C, beating the previous record of 12.3C set in 1980.
Despite the records, “the overall average temperature for November was bang-on normal,” said Hay.
The average temperature for November in the Comox Valley is 5.7C, which was exactly the average temperature for November 2014. Hay did note one significant difference between this November and those in the past.
“The overall average precipitation is 200.5 mm, which includes rain and snow. This November (the Comox Valley) received 102.8 mm.”
For more information and to check the status of the Extreme Weather Protocol, visit www.comoxvalleyewp.com.
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